労 (láo) - labor, toil, work & fatigue

労Tone 2

láo ｜ 7 strokes ｜ radical: 力

俊梁

労 · láo

labor, toil, work;

fatigue;

merit, achievement

labor, toil, workfatiguemerit, achievement

Usage highlights

laborlaborerlabor unionlabor costlabor painslabor management

Synonyms

  • 働— work, labor (verb form)
  • 勤— diligence, service
  • 務— duty, task

Antonyms

  • 楽— ease, comfort
  • 休— rest, break

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He works hard every day (毎日働く).
  • Labor creates value (労働が価値を生む).
  • This is a labor of love (これは愛の労).
  • We should respect workers (労働者を尊重すべき).

Collocations

  • labor(労働)
  • laborer(労働者)
  • labor union(労働組合)
  • labor cost(労賃)
  • labor pains(産後の労)
  • labor management(労務管理)

Idioms

  • Toil without reward(徒労に終わる)
  • Work hard and achieve much(労多くして功少なし)
  • Reward for meritorious service(功労を称える)
  • Sympathize with someone's hardship(労をねぎらう)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In Japanese culture, 労 represents the value of hard work and diligence.
  • The character combines 力 (strength) with other components, emphasizing physical or mental exertion.
  • Used in contexts recognizing effort, achievement, and the working class in society.

FAQ