作業中
sagyōchū
The English phrase "work in progress" is translated into Japanese as 作業中 (sagyōchū).
It is commonly found in professional, technical or digital environments, such as a status indicator on a website or a sign indicating that a specific task is underway.
Meaning: project (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The term is composed of 作業 (sagyō), meaning "work" or "operation" and the suffix 中 (chū), which means "in the middle of" or "currently doing".
How does it change in a sentence?
The suffix 中 can be attached to many nouns to indicate that the action or state represented by that noun is currently in progress.
How do you pronounce it?
sagyōchū
Did you know?
- While 作業中 is for tasks, the similar phrase 工事中 (kōjichū) is used specifically for physical construction. Using 作業中 for a road crew might sound like they are doing a small chore rather than professional engineering.
- The character 中 (chū) used in 作業中 actually depicts a person or object being 'inside' or 'in the center' of a space or time.
- In professional settings, 作業中 is a neutral description, but saying 仕事中 (shigotochū) more strongly implies 'I am on the clock'. One might use 作業中 for a hobby project and 仕事中 only for paid employment.
Examples in context
- 昨日から今日に続き、順調に進んでいます。It is progressing smoothly, continuing from yesterday to today.
- このプロジェクト、やってる最中だよ。We're in the middle of doing this project.
- まだ仕事中なんだ。I'm still working on it.
- 今は作業中です。Ima wa sagyou-chuu desu.I am currently working on it.
- 資料はまだ作業中です。Shiryou wa mada sagyou-chuu desu.The documents are still a work in progress.
- 彼は新しいプロジェクトの作業中です。Kare wa atarashii purojekuto no sagyou-chuu desu.He is working on a new project.
Example conversation
Misaki asks Kenta about the status of a report in the office.
- 美咲 Misaki健太さん、レポートの準備はできましたか？Kenta-san, repooto no junbi wa dekimashita ka?Kenta, is the report ready?
- 健太 Kentaすみません、まだ作業中です。Sumimasen, mada sagyou-chuu desu.I'm sorry, it is still a work in progress.
- 美咲 Misakiいつ頃終わりますか？Itsu goro owarimasu ka?About when will it be finished?
- 健太 Kenta午後には終わる予定です。Gogo ni wa owaru yotei desu.I plan to finish it by this afternoon.
