Japanese edit

Kanji in this term
はたら
Grade: 4
kun’yomi

Etymology edit

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 (hata, flag, from the sound of a flag flapping)[2] and (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 edit

  • 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 たらく [hàtárákú]
Imperative (命令形) 働け たらけ [hàtáráké]
Key constructions
Passive 働かれる たらかれる [hàtárákárérú]
Causative 働かせる たらかせる [hàtárákásérú]
Potential 働ける たらける [hàtárákérú]
Volitional 働こう たらこ [hàtárákóꜜò]
Negative 働かない たらかない [hàtárákánáí]
Negative perfective 働かなかった たらかなかった [hàtárákánáꜜkàttà]
Formal 働きます たらきま [hàtárákímáꜜsù]
Perfective 働いた たらいた [hàtáráítá]
Conjunctive 働いて たらいて [hàtáráíté]
Hypothetical conditional 働けば たらけ [hàtárákéꜜbà]

Verb edit

(はたら) (hatarakuintransitive godan (stem (はたら) (hataraki), past (はたら)いた (hataraita))

  1. [from 1212] to work at a job, to labour
    10(じゅう)()まで(はたら)()もりだ。
    Jū-ji made hataraku tsumori da.
    I intend to work until 10 o'clock.
  2. [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(はたら)いてない
    Suitchi ga hataraite nai.
    The switch isn't working.
  3. [from 1665] (transitive) to perpetrate or commit a crime
    彼女(かのじょ)(ぬす)(はたら)
    Kanojo wa nusumi o hataraku.
    She commits theft.
  4. [from 1769] (grammar) to conjugate; to inflect; to decline

Conjugation edit

References edit

  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, Nihon Kokugo Daijiten)[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000
  3. ^ ”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, Nihon Kokugo Daijiten)[2] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000
  4. ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: 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), Tōkyō: NHK Publishing, →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 (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  • 2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, →ISBN.