職

It is a phono-semantic compound, composed of:

耳 (“ear”) as the semantic element, associated with listening, duty, and official functions;

戠 (jik, “clay, substance”) as the phonetic element.

Originally, 職 conveyed the sense of “listening attentively to responsibilities,” and by extension came to mean one’s office, duty, or function in society. Today it is the standard character for “occupation, profession, responsibility.”

In Korean, 직 (職) is a central morpheme in terms relating to duty, responsibility, and jobs:

직분 (職分) – duty, role

직업 (職業) – occupation, profession

직책 (職責) – official post, responsibility

정직 (正職) – regular (permanent) position

무직 (無職) – unemployed

Note on 직 (直) vs. 직 (職):

Some words that seem like they should use 職 actually use 直 (“straight”) instead:

당직 (當直) – being on duty (literally “the turn comes”)

숙직 (宿直) – night duty, overnight watch

하직 (下直) – stepping down from duty, or taking leave (literally “coming down from the turn”)

This is because 直 has, in addition to “straight,” the extended meaning “to take turns on duty.”

當直 - the turn of duty comes.

宿直 - staying overnight to take one’s turn on duty.

下直 - to come down from one’s turn of duty, hence “to quit one’s post,” later extended to “to take leave, to depart.”

(Explanation based on the Korean Language Society’s consultation)

A variant form is 軄, where 身 (“body”) replaces 耳.