(しごとなかま)

しごとなかま
noun
work colleague; workmate; coworker
1. work colleague; workmate; coworker
A person one works with, emphasizing the sense of companionship and shared effort rather than formal organizational hierarchy.
仕事仲間(しごとなかま)(ひる)(はん)()べた。
I had lunch with my work colleagues.
(かれ)はただの仕事仲間(しごとなかま)ではなく、親友(しんゆう)だ。
He's not just a work colleague — he's a close friend.
週末(しゅうまつ)仕事仲間(しごとなかま)()みに()くことが(おお)い。
I often go out drinking with my coworkers on weekends.

Carries a warmer, more personal tone than 同僚(どうりょう) (colleague). 仲間(なかま) implies camaraderie and a sense of being on the same team, so 仕事仲間(しごとなかま) suggests people you get along with at work, not merely people who happen to work at the same place.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 仕事仲間(しごとなかま)()みに()く: to go drinking with coworkers
  • 仕事仲間(しごとなかま)(めぐ)まれる: to be blessed with good colleagues
  • 大切(たいせつ)仕事仲間(しごとなかま): valued coworkers

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • 同僚(どうりょう): colleague — more formal and neutral; no implication of personal closeness
  • 職場(しょくば)(ひと): people at one's workplace — general, no warmth implied
  • 同期(どうき): someone who joined the company in the same year — specific to hiring cohort