役人(やくにん)

やくにん
noun
government official, bureaucrat
occupation
1. government official, bureaucrat, civil servant
A person employed in government service. Often carries a slightly negative connotation of bureaucratic rigidity or indifference, unlike the more neutral 公務員.
役人(やくにん)に届(とど)け出(で)た。
I submitted a report to the official.
役人(やくにん)の対応(たいおう)はいつも遅(おそ)い。
Bureaucrats are always slow to respond.
江戸(えど)時代(じだい)の役人(やくにん)は厳(きび)しい取(と)り締(し)まりを行(おこな)った。
Officials in the Edo period carried out strict enforcement.

役人(やくにん) refers to a government official or bureaucrat. The word often implies a stereotypical bureaucratic attitude — rigid, procedural, and sometimes unhelpful.

Similar words

  • 公務員(こうむいん): civil servant (neutral, modern term for government employees)
  • 官僚(かんりょう): bureaucrat, high-ranking official (more formal, focuses on the system)
  • 役人(やくにん): government official (slightly negative, implies bureaucratic behavior)

Common expressions

  • お役人(やくにん): government official (with polite prefix, sometimes ironic)
  • 役人(やくにん)根性(こんじょう): bureaucratic mentality
  • 役人(やくにん)仕事(しごと): bureaucratic work (implies going through the motions)

Related Words

Compare: 公務員(こうむいん) (civil servant)
Compare: 官僚(かんりょう) (bureaucrat, high-ranking official)
general
Added 2026.2.22 13:28 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
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