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ブラック企業 burakku kigyou
A company that grinds people down.
What does burakku kigyou mean?
Illegal overtime, no real holidays, a manager who calls at midnight. This isn't casual grumbling — the term shows up in news reports, lawsuits and job-hunting advice.
Example
前の会社はブラック企業で、毎日終電だった。
My old company was a sweatshop; I was on the last train every night.
Vibe
Who you can say this to, and how it lands.
Be careful This one carries weight. Read the meaning and the story before you say it to anyone.
The story behind burakku kigyou
The phrase grew online in the 2000s, in forums where young employees of small IT firms compared notes on unpaid overtime and managers who called at midnight. It climbed from the message boards into the news, and by 2013 it was one of the words of the year.
What followed was unusual for slang: consequences. Labour authorities began publishing the names of firms found in violation, and job hunters started screening for the signs. The word has drawn criticism too, since using black for exploitation sits badly with many people, and some now prefer plainer terms like illegal or harassment company.
Get burakku kigyou in your pocket
ブラック企業 is one of 308 words in YABAI, a Japanese culture snack for Android. Every word comes with its meaning, an example sentence, a vibe check and a story like the one above — in 13 languages, read aloud by your device. Paid app: no ads, no sign-up, no subscription.
