Japanese kanji 勤: work, commuting and diligence

The idea

勤 has 12 strokes; follow the linked diagram. Read 勤める（つとめる）, 勤務（きんむ）, 通勤（つうきん） and 勤勉（きんべん） as whole words.

Examples

• 私わたしは病院びょういんに勤つとめています。I work at a hospital.
• 父ちちは銀行ぎんこうに十年じゅうねん勤つとめています。My father has worked at the bank for ten years.
• 勤務きんむ時間じかんは九時くじからです。My working hours start at nine.
• 毎日まいにち電車でんしゃで通勤つうきんします。I commute by train every day.
• 彼女かのじょは勤勉きんべんな学生がくせいです。She is a diligent student.
• 週しゅうに二回にかい、自宅じたくで勤務きんむします。I work from home twice a week.

Watch out

勤める means to be employed at an organization; 通勤 is the journey to work, not the work itself. 勤勉 describes a diligent person.

Try it yourself

1. Write the reading of 勤める in hiragana.

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   つとめる

   勤める is つとめる: 病院に勤める means to work at a hospital. Learn the reading with the verb.

2. Write the reading of 通勤 in hiragana.

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   つうきん

   通勤 is つうきん: 電車で通勤する means to commute by train.

3. Choose the missing kanji: ＿勉（きんべん）［勤／近］.

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   勤

   勤 completes 勤勉（きんべん）, meaning diligent; it describes the student in the example.

Use it today

Write 勤 following the diagram. Cover the table, read 勤める and 通勤, then make a sentence with one.