Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 工作 | gōngzuò | /kʊŋ⁵⁵ t͡su̯ɔ⁵¹/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /koŋ⁵⁵ t͡so²¹/ (Mandarin, Chengdu, Sinological IPA) |
|
| 勞動 / 劳动 | láodòng | ||
| 職業 / 职业 | zhíyè | ||
| 工作 | kang-chok / kong-chok | /kaŋ⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sɔk̚³²/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, Hui'an, Philippines, Sinological IPA, General Taiwanese) /kaŋ³³ t͡sɔk̚⁵/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, Hui'an, Philippines, Sinological IPA, General Taiwanese) |
Hokkien |
The term 工作 is used to describe an occupation, employment or the act of working. You may also use 工作岗位 to refer specifically to a work position or a job. If you are talking about the specific act of going to work or being on duty, use 上班. For more specialized terms, 劳动 refers to labor or the concept of labor, while 干活 is a way to say 'to work'.
Which one should you use?
While 工作 can refer to a specific job or the act of working, 职业 is used to describe one's profession or occupation more broadly.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The word гунзуә is used in Dungan, and the term 工作 (romanized as kang-chok or kong-chok) is used in Hokkien.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The word 工作 can function as both a noun, meaning a job and as an intransitive verb, meaning to work. In a related sense, when you want to express the idea of performing a specific task as a verb, you might use зўхуә, 作穡 / 作穑 or 做工. For a verb meaning to function correctly or to achieve a designed goal, use 運行良好 / 运行良好 or 生效.
How do you pronounce it?
The Hokkien pronunciation of 工作 is kang-chok / kong-chok.
Did you know?
- The word 工作 can be used as a verb to mean 'doing groundwork' or 'lobbying' someone to change their mind or align with a goal.
- In ancient literary Chinese, using the term for physical labour was actually a way to express politeness.
- The Dungan word гунзуә reflects a unique linguistic blend, as it is a Chinese-based language spoken by people who use the Cyrillic alphabet.
Examples in context
- 你工作努力。You work hard.This sentence is useful for describing someone's effort in their work using 工作.Tatoeba #1992630 by sadhen, translation #15993 by CK
- 她继续工作。She proceeded with the work.This sentence is useful for describing the continuation of work using 工作.Tatoeba #2052522 by sadhen, translation #313902 by CM
- 工作怎么样？How's work?This sentence is useful for asking a general question about how someone's work is going using 工作.Tatoeba #5100103 by mirrorvan, translation #245394 by CK
- 我每天都工作。I work every day.
- 他在一家大公司工作。He works at a big company.
- 我想找一份兼职的工作。I want to find a part-time job.
- 我今天要去干活。I'm going to work today.
- 他一直在做事情，很忙。He has been busy doing things all the time.
- 请问，你在哪里工作？Excuse me, where do you work?
- 很抱歉打扰你，我想请教你一些工作上的问题。I apologize for bothering you, can I ask you some work-related questions?
- 439 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
浩然 and 佳怡 are talking in a coffee shop about their careers.
- 浩然 Haoran你最近的工作忙吗？Nǐ zuìjìn de gōngzuò máng ma?Is your work busy lately?
- 佳怡 Jiayi还是比较忙。Háishì bǐjiào máng.It is still quite busy.
- 浩然 Haoran那你要注意休息。Nà nǐ yào zhùyì xiūxi.Then you should remember to rest.
- 佳怡 Jiayi谢谢你的关心。Xièxiè nǐ de guānxīn.Thanks for your concern.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “work” translations and entries 工作, 工作, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
