Synonym Comparison
The Nuance Difference: "働く" vs "運ぶ"
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
運ぶ
はこぶ (hakobu)
N4 / CEFR Syllabus
Nuance Contrast & Social Differences
In Japanese, both 働く and 運ぶ 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, 運ぶ (はこぶ (hakobu)) translates to "to carry, to transport" (Level: N4) and is used for Refers to moving items from one place to another, often implying effort or a larger quantity/size than 持って行く. 物を移動させる。. 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 "運ぶ"
この大きな荷物を一人で運ぶのは大変だ。
It's hard to carry this large luggage alone.
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.".