団員(だんいん)

Composed of 団(だん) (group, corps, troupe) and the suffix -員(いん) (member, staff member). Pairs naturally with any organization whose name ends in -団(だん): 劇団(げきだん)の団員(だんいん) (troupe member), 楽団(がくだん)の団員(だんいん) (orchestra member), 消防(しょうぼう)団(だん)の団員(だんいん) (volunteer fire brigade member), and so on.

Usage

Neutral in tone and widely used in news reports, recruitment notices, and organizational self-description. Because 団員(だんいん) only covers groups named -団(だん), it cannot be used for members of political parties (党員(とういん)), societies (会員(かいいん)), or ordinary companies (社員(しゃいん)). The number of members is often expressed with the counter -名(めい), e.g. 団員(だんいん)20名(めい) (20 members).

Common collocations

• 団員(だんいん)募集(ぼしゅう): recruiting members
• 団員(だんいん)になる: to become a member
• 団員(だんいん)を辞(や)める: to quit being a member
• 新(しん)団員(だんいん): new member
• 団員(だんいん)数(すう): number of members
• 団員(だんいん)名簿(めいぼ): list / roster of members

Similar words

• 会員(かいいん): member — used for groups whose name ends in -会(かい) (society, club, association)
• 社員(しゃいん): employee; company member — a member of a 会社(かいしゃ) (company)
• 党員(とういん): party member — a member of a political party (政党(せいとう))
• 組合員(くみあいいん): union / cooperative member — a member of a 組合(くみあい)
• 部員(ぶいん): club / section member — a member of a 部(ぶ) (e.g., a school club)
• 隊員(たいいん): squad / unit member — a member of a 隊(たい), such as a police or rescue unit