働く

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) はたらく [hàtárákú] (Heiban – [0])^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]
IPA^(key): [ha̠ta̠ɾa̠kɯ̟]

Tokyo pitch accent of conjugated forms of 「働く」

Stem forms
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary
Terminal (終止形) Attributive (連体形)	働く	はたらく	`[hàtárákú]`
Imperative (命令形)	働け	はたらけ	`[hàtáráké]`
Key constructions
Passive	働かれる	はたらかれる	`[hàtárákárérú]`
Causative	働かせる	はたらかせる	`[hàtárákásérú]`
Potential	働ける	はたらける	`[hàtárákérú]`
Volitional	働こう	はたらこー	`[hàtárákóꜜò]`
Negative	働かない	はたらかない	`[hàtárákánáí]`
Negative perfective	働かなかった	はたらかなかった	`[hàtárákánáꜜkàttà]`
Formal	働きます	はたらきます	`[hàtárákímáꜜsù]`
Perfective	働いた	はたらいた	`[hàtáráítá]`
Conjunctive	働いて	はたらいて	`[hàtáráíté]`
Hypothetical conditional	働けば	はたらけば	`[hàtárákéꜜbà]`

Verb

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

[from 1212] 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.
[from mid-1600s] 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.
[from 1665] (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.
[from 1769] (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

^ 働く／はたらく - Gogen Yurai Jiten (in Japanese)
^ “旗・幡・旌”, in 日本国語大辞典‎^[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
^ “働”, in 日本国語大辞典‎^[2] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
^ Hirayama, Teruo, editor (1960), 全国アクセント辞典 (Zenkoku Akusento Jiten, “Nationwide Accent Dictionary”) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Tōkyōdō, →ISBN
^ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 (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.

[1] 働く／はたらく - Gogen Yurai Jiten (in Japanese)

[KDJ2-flag-2] “旗・幡・旌”, in 日本国語大辞典‎^[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006

[KDJ2-3] “働”, in 日本国語大辞典‎^[2] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006

[DJR-4] Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[NHK-5] NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

[ZAJ-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

[SMK5-7] Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

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