Friendly to Senior
Care · Conversation
お仕事は、どんなお仕事をなさっていたんですか。 — What kind of work did you do? (Care · Conversation, Friendly to Senior, JLPT N4)
You
お仕事は、どんなお仕事をなさっていたんですか。
おしごとは、どんなおしごとをなさっていたんですか。
What kind of work did you do?
Romaji: Oshigoto wa, donna oshigoto wo nasatte ita n desu ka. / Reply Romaji: Zutto shougakkou no sensei wo yatte imashita yo. Sanjuu-nen ijou ne.
Reply
ずっと小学校の先生をやっていましたよ。三十年以上ね。
ずっとしょうがっこうのせんせいをやっていましたよ。さんじゅうねんいじょうね。
I was an elementary school teacher all along. For more than thirty years.
Gesture & etiquette
Sit at eye level, hands folded calmly. When they answer, react with respectful interest ('三十年も!立派ですね'). Ask follow-ups about students or notable years — these memories live in vivid detail.
Career questions honor a senior's professional identity, often a primary source of self-worth. The honorific 'なさっていた' (you were doing — respectful) is appropriate. Listen for stories of pride and struggle — both shape identity. Common Showa-era careers: 小学校教師, 銀行員, 看護師, 公務員, 大工, 商店店主. Each carries vivid memories.