1.
non-regular; irregular
Not conforming to established rules, standards, or regular patterns. Used broadly for anything outside the standard or official category.
非正規の手段だ。
It's an irregular method.
非正規の方法で入手した。
It was obtained through irregular means.
この書類は非正規のルートで提出されたものだ。
This document was submitted through unofficial channels.
2.
non-regular (employment)
Describes workers or employment arrangements that fall outside the standard full-time permanent employment model, including part-time, temporary, contract, and dispatch workers.
非正規雇用が増えている。
Non-regular employment is increasing.
彼女は非正規社員として働いている。
She is working as a non-regular employee.
非正規労働者の待遇改善が社会的な課題になっている。
Improving the treatment of non-regular workers has become a social issue.
Formed from the prefix 非 (non-) and 正規 (regular; official). Most commonly encountered in employment contexts, where the distinction between 正規 and 非正規 is a major social and economic issue in Japan.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 非正規雇用: non-regular employment
- 非正規社員: non-regular employee
- 非正規労働者: non-regular worker
- 非正規労働: non-regular labor
- 非正規の割合: proportion of non-regular (workers)
EMPLOYMENT CONTEXT:
非正規雇用 includes part-time workers (パート}), temporary workers ({派遣社員), contract workers (契約社員), and casual workers (アルバイト}). These positions typically offer lower pay, fewer benefits, and less job security than {正規雇用 (regular full-time employment).
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 不正: fraud; injustice — implies wrongdoing, while 非正規 simply means outside the standard category
- 不規則: irregular; random — describes lack of pattern, not employment status
- 臨時: temporary; ad hoc — focuses on the temporary nature rather than the employment category