労|ろうrou[1]atamadaka (head-high)

1. nounlabor; labour; toil; trouble; pains; work; effort; striving
   労ろうなくして益ますますなし。↗

   No pain, no gain.

• Synonym労苦ろうくWrittenWritten/formal. Physical and mental hardship; stresses the suffering endured, while 「労」 stresses the credit for effort put into something.
• Synonym苦労くろうNeutralNeutral and the most common in everyday use. Hardship and toil, also worry; stresses the suffering rather than the contribution.
• Synonym辛苦しんくWrittenWritten/formal. Hardship and privation, as in 「辛苦を共にする」.
• Synonym労力ろうりょくNeutralNeutral. The physical effort or manpower a task requires, as in 「労力を惜しまない」; stresses the effort expended.
• Synonym努力どりょくNeutralNeutral and the most widely used. Conscious effort; stresses active exertion and does not imply credit for a contribution.
• Synonym辛労しんろうWrittenWritten/formal and rather rare. Toil and weariness from hard work.
• Synonym労するろうするWrittenWritten/formal verb. To take pains or trouble, as in 「労せずして」.
• Related労作ろうさくWrittenWritten/formal. A laborious task or painstakingly produced work; stresses the finished result.
• Related尽力じんりょくNeutralNeutral. Doing one's utmost for a person or cause, as in 「ご尽力いただき」 or 「解決に尽力する」.
• Related粒々辛苦りゅうりゅうしんくWrittenWritten/formal four-character idiom. Painstaking effort, bit by bit; stresses long, sustained diligence.
• Related骨折りほねおりNeutralNeutral. The pains and trouble taken, as in 「お骨折りいただき」; focuses on the toil itself.
• Relatedこつこつ働くこつこつはたらくCasualColloquial. Working steadily and diligently; stresses the diligent attitude.

Use 「労」 for effort or credit given to a task, as in 「労をねぎらう」「労を惜しまない」「労を取る」. For hardship say 「苦労」, for effort expended 「労力」, for doing one's utmost 「尽力」.

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

1. （ロウ）あることに対たいし、骨ほねを折おって貢献こうけんすること、及およびその貢献こうけん。