exhausting work; hard work; severe duty
Refers to work that is physically or mentally draining, often with long hours or high pressure. Common in business and news contexts.
He ruined his health from overwork.
This project has been nonstop hard work.
激務 highlights an overwhelming, exhausting workload (often mental or schedule-related), while 重労働 stresses physically demanding labor.
Standard kanji form; used in news and everyday writing.
Rarely used kanji form; 激務 is overwhelmingly preferred.
Compound of 激 (intense, severe) and 務 (duty, task). The kanji combination directly conveys 'intense work'.