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Synonym Comparison

The Nuance Difference: "とおく" vs "働く"

Master the exact conceptual boundary between these Japanese terms.

Japanese Term A

とおく

とおく (tooku)
N5 / CEFR Syllabus
VS
Japanese Term B

働く

はたらく (hataraku)
N4 / CEFR Syllabus

Nuance Contrast & Social Differences

In Japanese, both とおく and 働く are often translated to English but have distinct usages. とおく (とおく (tooku)) represents "far, distant" (Level: N5) and typically represents Describes distance. Opposite of ちかく. On the other hand, 働く (はたらく (hataraku)) translates to "to work" (Level: N4) and is used for Refers to engaging in labor or a job, often for income.. Mixing these up can sound unnatural to native Japanese speakers!
Bilingual Sentence for "とおく"
わたしの家は会社から遠いです。
My house is far from the office.
Bilingual Sentence for "働く"
毎日、会社で働いています。
I work at a company every day.

Nuance Mastery Quiz

Which Japanese word perfectly fits this blank space?

Fill in the blank: "わたしの家は会社から遠いです。" (Meaning: "My house is far from the office.")
🎉 Correct Answer!

Remember: "とおく" fits here because it represents "far, distant" in the context: "My house is far from the office.".

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