任務|にんむninmu[1]atamadaka (head-high)

1. nounduty; function; office; mission; task; role
   彼女かのじょはその党とうの指導しどう的てき任務にんむにつくことを承認しょうにんした。↗

   She has consented to take the leadership of the party.

• Synonym任にんWrittenWritten/formal prose. One's duty or burden, as in 「任に就く」「任が重い」. The bare character is solemn; 「任務」 leans toward concrete assigned work.
• Synonym職務しょくむWrittenWritten/formal prose. The work attached to one's post, as in 「職務を遂行する」. Emphasizes the position itself; 「任務」 is work assigned that must be completed.
• Synonym責務せきむWrittenWritten/formal prose. Duties and obligations one must fulfill, as in 「責務を果たす」. Leans toward moral responsibility; 「任務」 toward concrete work handed to you.
• SynonymタスクNeutralLoanword for concrete work items, as in 「タスク管理」. Leans toward everyday to-do items; also a unit of work processed by a computer.
• SynonymミッションNeutralLoanword for a mission or special assignment, as in 「ミッション達成」. Carries an operational, action-oriented feel; can also mean religious missionary work.
• Synonym勤めつとめNeutralA duty one should fulfill; also working for a company. Leans toward one's personal calling or station; 「任務」 toward concrete assigned work.
• Related役目やくめNeutralA duty one is expected to shoulder, as in 「役目を果たす」. More colloquial than 「任務」, and leans toward the role the individual plays in it.
• Related課題かだいNeutralA subject, assignment, or problem awaiting solution, as in 「今後の課題」. Points to the issue itself, not a duty assigned to you.
• Related仕事しごとNeutralThe most common word: work, a job, or things one simply has to do. Carries no sense of mission; 「任務」 specifically means duties you have been given.
• Related役割やくわりNeutralOne's role or share in a division of labor, as in 「役割分担」. Leans toward where you fit functionally; 「任務」 toward work that must be completed.
• Related作業さぎょうNeutralPhysical or mental work carried out in set steps, as in 「作業員」「事務作業」. 「任務」 stresses that the work is a duty assigned to you, whatever form it takes.
• Related役回りやくまわりNeutralThe role or chore you get landed with, often unwillingly, as in 「損な役回り」. 「任務」 is a duty formally assigned to you.
• Related義務ぎむNeutralA legal or moral obligation one is bound to fulfill. Leans toward rules and constraints; 「任務」 toward concrete work handed to you.
• Related業務ぎょうむNeutralThe routine business of a job, as in 「業務連絡」. Leans toward the regular operations of a company or institution; no sense of mission.
• Related責任せきにんNeutralResponsibility for consequences — being held to account. Leans toward accountability; 「任務」 is the work itself that must be done.
• Related職分しょくぶんWrittenWritten/formal prose: what the holder of a post ought by rights to do; one's proper duty. Rare today — say 「職務」 or 「役目」 in everyday speech.
• Relatedお勤めおつとめFormalFormal and deferential: one's job or going to work, also sutra reading before a Buddha. Honorific flavor; not used for a specific assigned task.
• Relatedお役目おやくめFormalFormal and deferential: public duties, as in 「お役目ご苦労」. Carries an old-fashioned whiff of official errands; uncommon in daily use.
• Related責せきWrittenWritten/formal prose for responsibility, seen mostly in set phrases like 「責を負う」「責を果たす」. Rare on its own; say 「責任」 in daily speech.

Use 「任務」 for work that has been assigned and must be carried out, as in 「任務を遂行する」「特殊任務」. For the duties of a post choose 「職務」; for duty in everyday speech, 「役目」; for day-to-day items on a to-do list, 「タスク」; for a mission with a sense of purpose, 「ミッション」. The rest differ in register or nuance: written/formal words like 「任」「責務」「職分」「責」 sound solemn, 「義務」 is obligation, 「責任」 accountability, and 「仕事」「作業」「業務」 are work in general rather than an assigned task.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. その人ひとの責任せきにんとされる事務じむ。役目やくめ。