Readings: ロウ (Onyomi), ねぎら.う, いたわ.る (Kunyomi)
Meaning: labor, toil, trouble, effort, work
The kanji 労 depicts strength (力) expended under a cover or roof, symbolizing the effort or toil of working. It conveys the idea of exerting oneself and the hardship involved in labor.
View JLPT N3 Kanji ListHow to Write – Stroke Order
The kanji 労 consists of seven strokes. It begins with the top-left element, followed by the top-right component. Next, the horizontal stroke is drawn. Finally, the 力 (chikara) radical is drawn: first the curved stroke, then the vertical stroke, and finishing with the right-sweeping stroke.
Kanji Details
| Radical | 力 |
|---|---|
| Strokes | 7 |
| JLPT Level | N3 |
| Grade | S (Jouyou Kanji) |
Readings with English Transcription
Onyomi (Chinese readings)
- ロウ (ROU)
Kunyomi (Japanese readings)
- ねぎら.う (negira.u)
- いたわ.る (itawa.ru)
Common Words Using 労
Onyomi Readings
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 労働 | ろうどう | labor, work |
| 疲労 | ひろう | fatigue, exhaustion |
| 苦労 | くろう | trouble, hardship, difficulty |
| 過労 | かろう | overwork |
| 勤労 | きんろう | diligence, industry, labor |
| 労力 | ろうりょく | effort, labor, toil |
| 労使 | ろうし | labor and management |
| 労災 | ろうさい | industrial accident |
| 労務 | ろうむ | labor, work, business |
| 労苦 | ろうく | hardship, toil |
Kunyomi Readings
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 労う | ねぎらう | to thank for effort, to reward |
| 労わる | いたわる | to care for, to sympathize with |
| 労い | ねぎらい | gratitude for effort (noun) |
| 労り | いたわり | sympathy, kindness (noun) |
| 労しい | いたわしい | pitiable, pathetic (adjective) |
| 労しむ | いたおしむ | to pity (less common variant) |
| 労ず | いたず | suffering, trouble (archaic noun) |
| 労し | いたわし | piteously, pathetically (adverbial form) |
| 労役 | ろうえき | forced labor (historical, sometimes read as いたり) |
| 労す | ろうす | to exert oneself (often used in fixed phrases, can be seen as a kun-like use) |
Example Sentences
Japanese: 彼は長年の労働で疲労困憊している。
Kana: かれはながねんのろうどうでひろうこんぱいしている。
Romaji: Kare wa naganen no rōdō de hirō konpai shiteiru.
English: He is exhausted from many years of labor.
Japanese: 皆の苦労が実を結んだ。
Kana: みんなのくろうがみをむすんだ。
Romaji: Minna no kurō ga mi o musunda.
English: Everyone’s hard work bore fruit.
Japanese: 過労で倒れないように注意してください。
Kana: かろうでたおれないようにちゅういしてください。
Romaji: Karō de taorenai yō ni chūi shite kudasai.
English: Please be careful not to collapse from overwork.
Japanese: 日頃の勤労に感謝の意を表します。
Kana: ひごろのきんろうにかんしゃのいをひょうします。
Romaji: Higoro no kinrō ni kansha no i o hyō shimasu.
English: I express my gratitude for your daily diligence.
Japanese: 彼の労力を無駄にはできない。
Kana: かれのろうりょくをむだにはできない。
Romaji: Kare no rōryoku o muda ni wa dekinai.
English: We cannot waste his effort.
Japanese: チームのメンバーの努力を労った。
Kana: チームのメンバーのどくをねぎらった。
Romaji: Chīmu no menbā no doryoku o negiratta.
English: I thanked the team members for their efforts.
Japanese: 高齢者を労わる気持ちが大切です。
Kana: こうれいしゃをいたわるきもちがたいせつです。
Romaji: Kōreisha o itawaru kimochi ga taisetsu desu.
English: It is important to have a caring feeling for the elderly.
Japanese: 労働組合がストライキを行った。
Kana: ろうどうくみあいがストライキをおこなった。
Romaji: Rōdō kumiai ga sutoraiki o okonatta.
English: The labor union went on strike.
Japanese: 建設現場での労務は大変です。
Kana: けんせつげんばでのろうむはたいへんです。
Romaji: Kensetsu genba de no rōmu wa taihen desu.
English: Labor at construction sites is tough.
Japanese: 仕事の労苦が報われるといいですね。
Kana: しごとのろうくがむくわれるといいですね。
Romaji: Shigoto no rōku ga mukuwareru to ii desu ne.
English: I hope your hardships at work are rewarded.
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