公務員

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 公務員(こうむいん) refers to a civil servant or public employee carrying out government or local-government work.
• Basic usage: It identifies the person's occupation as a civil servant at city hall.
  • 姉は市役所で働く公務員だ。

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• A narrower term than 職員
  • 職員(しょくいん) broadly refers to an organization's staff. 公務員 identifies public-service employment, not the staff of every organization.
• Expressions about recruitment
  • 公務員の採用試験 means an examination for recruitment to public service. 公務員になる means to become a civil servant.