Translation guide
This guide covers how to express the concept of 'starting work' in Japanese, including beginning a job, starting a work shift, and the act of commencing work tasks.
Expressing the beginning of employment at a company or in a position.
The most common and natural way to say 'to start work' in the sense of getting a job or being employed. Literally 'to obtain employment'.
来月から新しい会社に就職します。
I will start work at a new company next month.
Literally 'to begin working'. Can be used for starting a job or starting work in general.
大学を卒業して、すぐに働き始めた。
After graduating from university, I started working right away.
A straightforward phrase meaning 'to start work/a job'. Slightly more general than 就職する.
彼は先週から新しい仕事を始めた。
He started a new job last week.
Referring to the beginning of a workday or shift, such as clocking in or commencing daily tasks.
Used for starting the day's work or a specific work task. Context usually clarifies it's about the daily start.
朝9時に仕事を始めます。
I start work at 9 a.m.
Specifically means 'to go to work' or 'to clock in'. Emphasizes the act of arriving at the workplace to start the workday.
毎日8時半に出勤しています。
I start work (arrive at the office) at 8:30 every day.
A formal, business-like expression meaning 'to commence operations/work'. Often used in official contexts.
本日より業務を開始いたします。
We will commence operations from today.
Starting a specific piece of work, a project, or a task.
Means 'to start work (on a task)'. 作業 refers to manual or practical work, operations, or tasks.
準備ができたら作業を始めましょう。
Let's start work once we're ready.
Means 'to get started on' or 'to set about' a task. Often used when beginning a specific piece of work.
新しいプロジェクトに取りかかった。
We started work on the new project.
A formal term meaning 'to start' or 'to embark on' a project or task. Common in business and technical contexts.
来週、新システムの開発に着手します。
We will start work on developing the new system next week.
These all relate to starting work, but have different nuances. 就職する specifically means getting a job or being hired. 働き始める emphasizes the action of beginning to work. 仕事を始める is more general and can mean starting a job, a workday, or a task depending on context.
When specifying when you start work, use から after the time or event. For example: 9時から仕事を始めます (I start work from 9 o'clock).