働く|はたらくhataraku[0]heiban (flat)
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Definitions
- godan verb, intransitive verbto work; to labor; to labour
- godan verb, intransitive verbto function; to operate; to be effective; to work (i.e. ... works); to come into play
- godan verb, intransitive verbto commit (e.g. a crime); to perpetrate; to do; to act; to practise; to practice
- godan verb, intransitive verb, linguisticsto be conjugated
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 働く（はたらく） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 働きます（はたらきます） |
| Negative (nai) | 働かない（はたらかない） |
| polite (masen) | 働きません（はたらきません） |
| classical zu / nu | 働かず・働かぬ（はたらかず・はたらかぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 働いた（はたらいた） |
| polite (mashita) | 働きました（はたらきました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 働かなかった（はたらかなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 働きませんでした（はたらきませんでした） |
| Te form | 働いて（はたらいて） |
| Potential | 働ける（はたらける） |
| Passive | 働かれる（はたらかれる） |
| Causative | 働かせる（はたらかせる） |
| Causative passive | 働かせられる・働かされる（はたらかせられる・はたらかされる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 働けば（はたらけば） |
| tara | 働いたら（はたらいたら） |
| Volitional | 働こう（はたらこう） |
| polite (mashou) | 働きましょう（はたらきましょう） |
| Imperative | 働け（はたらけ） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym労働ろうどうNeutralSino-Japanese noun for labor, mostly in legal and economic contexts like 「労働時間」「肉体労働」; more abstract than 「働く」.
- Synonym勤労きんろうWrittenWritten word for diligent labor, as in 「勤労感謝の日」; carries a nuance of working hard and steadily.
- Synonym稼働かどうNeutralRefers to machines running or staff being at work, as in 「工場が稼働する」; common in production contexts.
- Synonym勤務きんむNeutralWorking at one's workplace, as in 「勤務先」「勤務時間」; focuses on being on duty at a job.
- Synonym就労しゅうろうWrittenWritten word for being employed or engaging in work, often in administrative contexts like 「就労ビザ」.
- Synonym勤めるつとめるNeutralTo hold a post at an organization, as in 「銀行に勤める」; stresses affiliation, while 「働く」 stresses the work itself.
- Synonym立ち働くたちはたらくNeutralWorking busily, as in 「台所で立ち働く」; conveys a brisk, diligent air.
- Antonym休むやすむNeutralAntonym of 「働く」: to rest or take a day off, not going to work.
- Antonym怠けるなまけるNeutralAntonym of 「働く」: to be lazy and neglect what one should be doing.
Use 「働く」 as the default for working or doing a job. Use 「勤める」 for holding a position at an organization, 「勤務」 for being on duty at work, 「労働」 in legal and economic contexts, 「就労」 for administrative employment matters, and 「稼働」 for machines running.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
See also
