働く vs 労働する
Japanese word comparison
Listen to 働く
Listen to 労働する
| 働く | 労働する |
|---|---|
ha-TA-ra-ku verb (godan/u-verb) | roudou suru verb (godan/u-verb) |
| to work; to labor (perform labor, be employed, or put in effort) | to labor; to engage in labor (often used in formal, legal, or statistical contexts) |
How they differ
労働する emphasizes labor as economic or physical work and is more formal or technical; 働く is the everyday verb for working and can also mean 'to function'. 労働する is used when discussing labor conditions, rights, or measured work activity.
When to use each
When to use 働く: Prefer 働く in casual conversation and when describing everyday actions or machines functioning.
When to use 労働する: Prefer 労働する in formal writing, reports, legal contexts, or when discussing labor as an economic or social concept.
Side-by-side examples
- たくさん働いたので疲れた。
(I worked a lot, so I'm tired.) - 工場で労働する人々の権利を守る必要がある。
(It is necessary to protect the rights of people who labor in factories.)
Register & nuance: 労働する is formal/academic/legal; it sounds more technical than the neutral 働く.