Ways to say it
| Mandarin | 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 the standard, neutral word used for any job, task or employment. You can use it as a noun to refer to your job or as a verb to describe the act of working. For example, when asking someone about their employment or how their job is going, you would use 工作.
Which one should you use?
While 工作 is the general term for both the noun 'work' and the verb 'to work', 职业 refers specifically to one's profession or occupation. If you want to emphasize the physical or strenuous nature of labor, use 劳动. To describe part-time or casual work, the term 打工 is used.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The form 工作 is also used in Hokkien (romanized as kang-chok / kong-chok), and the form гунзуә is used in Dungan.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
In colloquial speech, the phrase 做工 is used specifically to refer to performing manual labor or physical tasks. When 'work' is used in the sense of a law, rule or contract becoming effective or valid, use 生效.
How do you pronounce it?
For the Hokkien form, the pronunciation is kang-chok / kong-chok.
Did you know?
- The term 打工 for casual work literally means 'hitting work'. It is often used specifically by migrant workers in cities to describe their temporary status.
- In ancient literary Chinese, the word for physical labor, 劳动, was actually used as a way to express politeness in certain contexts.
- When a law or contract 'works' (becomes effective), Mandarin uses 生效, which literally means 'producing an effect' rather than using any word related to labor.
Examples in context
- 你工作努力。You work hard.The first sentence shows how to use 工作 to describe working hard.Tatoeba #1992630 by sadhen, translation #15993 by CK
- 她继续工作。She proceeded with the work.The second sentence demonstrates using 工作 to describe proceeding with a task.Tatoeba #2052522 by sadhen, translation #313902 by CM
- 工作怎么样？How's work?The third sentence shows how to use 工作 when asking about someone's job status.Tatoeba #5100103 by mirrorvan, translation #245394 by CK
- Tā de gōngzuò fēicháng zhòngyào. (他的工作非常重要。)His work is very important.
- Tā de dǎgōng shíjiān bù duō. (他的打工时间不多。)He doesn't work many part-time hours.
- 439 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are chatting about their careers at a cafe.
- 雨婷 Yuting浩然，你的工作顺利吗？hào rán, nǐ de gōng zuò shùn lì ma?Haoran, is your work going smoothly?
- 浩然 Haoran最近的工作很忙。zuì jìn de gōng zuò hěn máng.Work has been very busy lately.
- 雨婷 Yuting你需要休息一下。nǐ xū yào xiū xí yī xià.You need to take a rest.
- 浩然 Haoran谢谢雨婷的关心。xiè xiè yǔ tíng de guān xīn.Thank you for your concern, Yuting.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “work” translations and entries 工作, 工作, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 勞動, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
