働く

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Japanese

Kanji in this term
働
はたら
Grade: 4
kun'yomi

Etymology

Most likely derived ultimately from a mimetic word はた (hata, adverb, referring to the sound of objects bumping together),[1] in turn possibly cognate with 旗 (hata, “flag”, from the sound of a flag flapping)[2] and 機 (hata, “a loom”, from the sound of the shuttle or the workings of the batten).

Compare also adverb はたはた (hatahata, “working diligently”), verb はためく (hatameku, “to flutter, flap, flicker, whip”).

First cited in the late 900s, with the sense of "to move one's body".[3]

Pronunciation

  • Tokyo pitch accent of conjugated forms of 「働く」
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary
Stem forms
Terminal (終止形)
Attributive (連体形) 		働く はたらく
Imperative (命令形) 働け はたらけ
Key constructions
Passive 働かれる はたらかれる
Causative 働かせる はたらかせる
Potential 働ける はたらける
Volitional 働こう はたらこー
Negative 働かない はたらかない
Negative perfective 働かなかった はたらかなかった
Formal 働きます はたらきます
Perfective 働いた はたらいた
Conjunctive 働いて はたらいて
Hypothetical conditional 働けば はたらけば

Verb

働(はたら)く • (hataraku) intransitive godan (stem 働(はたら)き (hataraki), past 働(はたら)いた (hataraita))

  1. to work at a job, to labour
    10(じゅう)時(じ)まで働(はたら)く積(つ)もりだ。
    Jū-ji made hataraku tsumori da.
    I intend to work until 10 o'clock.
  2. to work properly, to operate, to function; to carry out one's function, to be effective, to come into play
    スイッチが働(はたら)いてない。
    Suitchi ga hataraite nai.
    The switch isn't working.
  3. (transitive) to perpetrate or commit a crime
    彼女(かのじょ)は盗(ぬす)みを働(はたら)く。
    Kanojo wa nusumi o hataraku.
    She commits theft.
  4. (grammar) to conjugate; to inflect; to decline

Conjugation

Conjugation of "働く" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)
Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective") 働か はたらか hataraka
Ren’yōkei ("continuative") 働き はたらき hataraki
Shūshikei ("terminal") 働く はたらく hataraku
Rentaikei ("attributive") 働く はたらく hataraku
Kateikei ("hypothetical") 働け はたらけ hatarake
Meireikei ("imperative") 働け はたらけ hatarake
Key constructions
Passive 働かれる はたらかれる hatarakareru
Causative 働かせる
働かす 		はたらかせる
はたらかす 		hatarakaseru
hatarakasu
Potential 働ける はたらける hatarakeru
Volitional 働こう はたらこう hatarakō
Negative 働かない はたらかない hatarakanai
Negative continuative 働かず はたらかず hatarakazu
Formal 働きます はたらきます hatarakimasu
Perfective 働いた はたらいた hataraita
Conjunctive 働いて はたらいて hataraite
Hypothetical conditional 働けば はたらけば hatarakeba

References

  1. ^ 働く／はたらく - Gogen Yurai Jiten (in Japanese)
  2. ^ “旗・幡・旌”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎ (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
  3. ^ “働”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎ (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
  4. ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  5. ^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
  6. ^ Hirayama, Teruo, editor (1960), 全国アクセント辞典 (Zenkoku Akusento Jiten, “Nationwide Accent Dictionary”) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Tōkyōdō, →ISBN
  7. ^ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  • 2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, →ISBN.
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