Japanese Overtime and Shift Vocabulary: Zangyō, Teiji, Shifts and Swaps

Teiji, zangyō and the shape of a working day

Teiji, 定時, is the fixed time your working day officially ends, and teiji de kaeru, going home on time, is a small phrase with a lot of feeling behind it. Anything after teiji is zangyō, 残業, overtime. You will hear the verb zangyō suru, the noun zangyō-dai or zangyō teate for overtime pay, and the adjective-like phrase zangyō ga ōi, there is a lot of overtime.

Two words describe overtime you should watch for. Sabisu zangyō is overtime that is worked but not recorded or paid, and while it is widely discussed, it is not something a company will ever state as policy, so listen for it in what colleagues say rather than in the contract. Mikoshi zangyō, also called kotei zangyō-dai, is a fixed overtime allowance built into the salary for a stated number of hours each month. It is legal and common, but it means you should ask how many hours the allowance covers and what happens beyond that.

The opposite direction has words too. Sōtai is leaving early with permission, chikoku is arriving late, and kyūkei is a break. Yūkyū, short for yūkyū kyūka, is paid leave, and an early finish to use it is yūkyū o toru.

Shift words: shifuto, kōtai, nikkin and yakin

Shifuto, from the English shift, is the everyday word in retail, food service, hospitals and factories. Shifuto ni hairu means to be on shift, shifuto o kumu means to draw up the shift rota, and a shifuto-hyō is the shift table. Kōtai, 交代, means taking turns, so a kōtaisei is a rotation system; ni-kōtai is two shifts a day and san-kōtai is three.

Nikkin, 日勤, is day duty and yakin, 夜勤, is night duty. Hospitals often add junya, semi-night, and shin'ya, deep night, and factories may call the early shift hayaban and the late shift osoban. Kyūjitsu shukkin is coming in on a scheduled day off; the substitute day off you may receive is daikyū. If you are asked to cover for someone, that is a daiwari or simply kawari.

Furekkusu, flexitime, usually comes with a koa taimu, core time, when everyone must be present. Jitan, short for jikan tanshuku, means formally reduced hours, typically for parents of small children.

Asking about hours in an interview

Interviewers expect questions about working hours, but the framing matters. A question that sounds like reluctance, zangyō wa shitakunai desu, will cost you; a question that sounds like planning will not. Use heikin shite, on average, and dono kurai, about how much, and ask when the interviewer says nani ka shitsumon wa arimasu ka, do you have any questions.

Good things to ask are the average overtime per month, whether there is a fixed overtime allowance, the shift pattern and how far ahead shifts are announced. If the job advert listed hours, refer to it: boshū yōkō ni wa to arimashita ga, the advert said such and such, and ask for detail. Company practices vary enormously, and the honest answer will usually be a range, so listen for busy seasons, hanbōki, when the numbers go up.

In a part-time or arubaito interview, the questions go the other way: the interviewer will ask which days and times you can work, and you answer with shūshoku dekiru hi and jikan. Have the list ready before you go in.

Asking your manager about expected overtime

Once you are employed, the conversation moves from the interview to your jōshi, your manager. The keigo level goes up slightly because you are asking about something that affects the team. The standard opening is sukoshi o-kiki shitai koto ga aru no desu ga, there is something I'd like to ask, followed by the question. If you cannot stay late on a particular day, say so early, give a reason in one clause and offer an alternative such as coming in early.

Overtime approval procedures differ by company: some require a zangyō shinsei, an overtime application, before you start; others record it afterwards. Ask which applies to you, and ask how hours are recorded, whether by a time card, taimu kādo, a system, or self-reporting. These are practical questions, not complaints, and managers generally appreciate that you asked rather than guessed.

Reading a shift table

A shifuto-hyō is usually a grid with names down the side and dates across the top, and each cell holds a code. The codes are not standard; every workplace has its own, so ask for the legend, hanrei, on your first day. Some common ones are 日 or 日勤 for a day shift, 夜 or 夜勤 for a night shift, 早 for early, 遅 for late, 休 for a day off, 有 for paid leave and 公 for a company holiday. Times may be written with a tilde, such as 9:00〜18:00, or with kara and made in speech.

If a cell is blank or a code is unfamiliar, ask rather than assume. The table below gathers the vocabulary you need to read one.

When you confirm your own shifts aloud, say the date, the shift and the time: jūgo-nichi wa yakin de, jūku-ji kara desu ne, the fifteenth is a night shift from seven, right? Repeating it back catches errors before they cost you a day.

Swapping a shift with a colleague

Swaps happen constantly in shift workplaces, and the etiquette is consistent: ask a colleague first, then tell the manager. Open with the date and a light apology, use a request form such as kawatte moraemasen ka, and offer a shift of yours in exchange. If the colleague says chotto, that is a no, so thank them and try someone else rather than pushing.

Once someone agrees, the swap is not complete until the manager knows. Some workplaces require a form or a message in a group chat; others are happy with a word in person. Ask what the rule is the first time, and then follow it every time, because an unrecorded swap can leave a shift uncovered on paper.

Phrases you hear about hours

• Kyō wa teiji agari de ii yo: you can finish on time today
• Mō sukoshi nokotte moraeru?: could you stay a bit longer?
• Konshū wa hanbōki da kara: because this week is the busy season
• Zangyō wa jizen shinsei de: overtime needs to be applied for beforehand
• Daikyū wa sangetsu inai ni totte ne: take your substitute day off within three months (a typical company rule, but check yours)
• Ashita hayaban dakara, saki ni agaru ne: I'm on the early shift tomorrow, so I'm leaving first
• Shifuto kibō wa nijū-nichi made ni dashite: submit your shift preferences by the twentieth

The last item introduces shifuto kibō, your shift preferences, which most rota-based workplaces collect monthly. Missing the deadline usually means you get whatever is left, so put the date in your calendar.

Mistakes to avoid

The most common vocabulary slip is mixing up yasumi, a day off, and kyūkei, a break; ask for a kyūkei when you mean a day off and you will get fifteen minutes. Another is using zangyō for staying late voluntarily to finish a personal task, which colleagues may count as work and which may confuse the record. Say nokorimasu, I'll stay, if it is not overtime.

In conversation, do not announce a swap as though it were decided: say kōtai o o-negai shitai no desu ga, I'd like to request a swap, not kōtai shimashita, I swapped. And never treat an interviewer's answer about hours as a promise; company rules and busy seasons vary, and the person who signs your shift table decides.