1.
family business, family trade
A business or trade that has been passed down through a family, typically across generations. Refers to the occupation that defines a family's livelihood.
家業を継ぐ。
To take over the family business.
父の家業は豆腐屋だった。
My father's family business was a tofu shop.
長男は家業を継がずに東京で会社員になった。
The eldest son didn't take over the family business and became a company employee in Tokyo.
USAGE:
The most common collocation is 家業を継ぐ (to take over the family business). In traditional Japanese society, the eldest son was expected to inherit the 家業, but this expectation has weakened in modern times.
COLLOCATIONS:
- 家業を継ぐ — to take over the family business
- 家業を手伝う — to help with the family business
- 家業を営む — to run the family business
- 代々の家業 — family business passed down for generations
CULTURAL NOTE:
Many traditional Japanese businesses — such as 旅館 (inns), 酒蔵 (sake breweries), and 和菓子店 (Japanese sweet shops) — are 家業 that have been handed down for centuries.