Recognize 働 in 働く and 労働. Connect each word’s reading with its meaning in context.

The idea

働 has 13 strokes; follow the linked KanjiVG diagram for their order. Read 働く（はたらく） and 労働（ろうどう） as whole words: a kanji’s reading depends on the word.

Patterns to compare
Japanese wordReadingExample in context
働くはたらくMy older sister works at a hospital.
労働ろうどうI check the working hours again.
働きはたらきI learn about how the heart works.

Examples

  • 姉あねは病院びょういんで働はたらいています。My older sister works at a hospital.
  • 土曜日どようびもここで働はたらきます。I work here on Saturdays too.
  • 労働ろうどう時間じかんをもう一度いちど確認かくにんします。I check the working hours again.
  • 労働ろうどうについてみんなで話はなしましょう。Let’s discuss work together.
  • 心臓しんぞうの働はたらきを学まなびます。I learn about how the heart works.
  • この道具どうぐの働はたらきを説明せつめいします。I explain what this tool does.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

働く means to work; 働き can also describe a function, as with the heart. Do not assume that every word containing 働 has the same meaning or reading. Compare 働 with 動; pay attention to 亻 when distinguishing their shapes.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 働く in hiragana.

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    はたらく

    働く is read はたらく. In context: My older sister works at a hospital.

  2. Write the reading of 労働 in hiragana.

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    ろうどう

    労働 is read ろうどう. In context: I check the working hours again.

  3. Write the missing kanji: ＿き（はたらき）［働／動］.

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    働

    働 completes 働き, read はたらき. In context: I learn about how the heart works.

Use it today

Cover the table, write 働 from memory and read 働く and 労働 aloud. Check your readings against the examples.