Synonym Comparison
The Nuance Difference: "働く" vs "吸う"
Master the exact conceptual boundary between these Japanese terms.
Japanese Term A
働く
はたらく (hataraku)
N5 / CEFR Syllabus
VS
Japanese Term B
吸う
すう (suu)
N5 / CEFR Syllabus
Nuance Contrast & Social Differences
In Japanese, both 働く and 吸う are often translated to English but have distinct usages.
働く (はたらく (hataraku)) represents "to work" (Level: N5) and typically represents Describes the act of working or being employed. Polite form is 働きます.
On the other hand, 吸う (すう (suu)) translates to "to smoke, to inhale" (Level: N5) and is used for たばこを吸う、空気を吸うなど、何かを吸い込むときに使います。Polite form is 吸います. Mixing these up can sound unnatural to native Japanese speakers!
Bilingual Sentence for "働く"
私の父は銀行で働いています。
My father works at a bank.
Bilingual Sentence for "吸う"
ここでたばこを吸わないでください。
Please don't smoke here.
Nuance Mastery Quiz
Which Japanese word perfectly fits this blank space?
Fill in the blank: "私の父は銀行で働いています。" (Meaning: "My father works at a bank.")
🎉 Correct Answer!
Remember: "働く" fits here because it represents "to work" in the context: "My father works at a bank.".