How to Say "I Worked" in Japanese

働いた

hataraita

The English phrase "I worked" is expressed in Japanese as 働いた (hataraita).

This is the past tense form of the verb used to say that someone performed a job or task.

Which one should you use?

The form 働いた is the plain/casual form, whereas 働きました is the polite form used with strangers or superiors.

hataraita

While 働いた means 'worked', Japanese speakers often use the phrase お疲れ様 'otsukaresama' to acknowledge that someone has worked. This expression is so central to work culture that it functions as a greeting, a thank you and a goodbye.
The kanji used in 働いた is composed of the radical for 'person' on the left and the character for 'movement' on the right, visually suggesting that 'working' is the 'movement of a person'.
Japanese has a concept called やりがい 'yarigai', which describes the feeling of worth or fulfillment derived from having worked. English has no single word that captures this specific sense of 'work-worth'.

一生懸命働いた。
I worked hard.
This sentence is useful for expressing that you worked hard using the form 働いた.
Tatoeba #190409 by small_snow, translation #2247640 by CK
私は農場で働いた。
I worked on a farm.
This sentence is useful for stating that you worked on a farm using the form 働いた.
Tatoeba #154640 by bunbuku, translation #259900 by CK
私は夜遅くまで働いた。
I worked far into the night.
This sentence is useful for describing working late into the night using the form 働いた.
Tatoeba #152552 by small_snow, translation #261997 by CK
前の会社で10年間働きました。
I worked at the previous company for ten years.
昨日は一日中働いた。
I worked all day yesterday.
11 more sentences on Tatoeba

Two friends are talking about their weekend at a cafe.

美咲 Misaki

週末はどうだった？
Shūmatsu wa dō datta?
How was your weekend?
陽太 Yota

昨日、一日中働いたよ。
Kinō, ichinichijū hataraita yo.
I worked all day yesterday.
美咲 Misaki

大変だったね。
Taihen datta ne.
That sounds tough.
陽太 Yota

でも、今日は休みだよ。
Demo, kyō wa yasumi dayo.
But, I'm off today.

Sources

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