Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 仕事 | shigoto | [ɕiɡo̞to̞] (narrow) |
| 労働 | rōdō | [ɾo̞ːdo̞ː] (narrow) |
| 職業 | shokugyō | [ɕo̞kɯ̟ɡʲo̞ː] (narrow) |
| ワーク | wāku | [β̞a̠ːkɯ̟] (narrow) |
仕事 is used both for the concept of employment and for specific tasks or chores one needs to complete.
Which one should you use?
The choice of word depends on the context. 仕事 is the most common, everyday word for 'work' or 'a job'. 労働 refers specifically to physical or economic labor and is used in formal, legal or sociological contexts. 職業 is used when referring to one's professional occupation or career path, often seen on official forms. ワーク is mostly used in specific business contexts like 'workflow' or 'workload'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the action of working, the noun 仕事 is often paired with the verb する (to do) to create the phrase 仕事をする (to do work / to work). While 仕事 is a noun, 働く is the verb form meaning 'to work' or 'to be employed'.
How do you pronounce it?
shigoto
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use the katakana ワーク for daily tasks, but it is mostly used in specific business contexts like 'workflow' or 'workload'.
Did you know?
- The kanji used in 労働 for 'movement' is actually a Japanese-made character. It was created specifically to replace the original Chinese character during the rise of the labour movement in 1897.
- The word 仕事 can be used to describe a 'job well done' in a way that refers to the quality of the craft, regardless of whether it was paid employment.
Examples in context
- 仕事はどう？How's work?This sentence shows how to ask about someone's work using 仕事.Tatoeba #3488321 by arnab, translation #245394 by CK
- 仕事に戻れ！Get back to work!This sentence uses 仕事 to command someone to return to their tasks.Tatoeba #8613815 by small_snow, translation #2006521 by Spamster
- 仕事中なの？Are you at work?This sentence uses 仕事 to ask if someone is currently at their place of work.Tatoeba #8728265 by bunbuku, translation #4401103 by CK
- 私は仕事に行きます。I am going to work.
- 彼は本日も仕事に来ています。He is coming to work today as well.
- あなたの勤め先はどこですか？Where is your place of employment?
- 明日はお休み？それとも仕事？Are you off tomorrow? Or is it work?
- 今日の仕事は大変だった。Today's work was tough.
- この夏、バイトをするつもりです。I plan to work part-time this summer.
- 昨日のアルバイトは楽しかった。Yesterday's part-time job was fun.
- 843 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui and Ren are talking about their daily routines.
- 結衣 Yui蓮さんは仕事は何をしていますか？Ren-san wa shigoto wa nani o shite imasu ka?Ren, what do you do for work?
- 蓮 Ren私はエンジニアとして働いています。Watashi wa enjinia to shite hataraite imasu.I am working as an engineer.
- 結衣 Yuiいいですね。仕事は忙しいですか？Ii desu ne. Shigoto wa isogashii desu ka?That's nice. Is your work busy?
- 蓮 Renはい、最近とても忙しいです。Hai, saikin totemo isogashii desu.Yes, I've been very busy lately.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “work” translations and entries 仕事, 労働, 職業, ワーク, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ワーク, 仕事, 労働, 職業, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
