働はたらきアリ

は

た

ら

き

あ

り

Meanings

1

worker ant

Refers to a sterile female ant that does the work of the colony, such as foraging and nest maintenance.

Worker ants gather food for the nest.

2

hard worker; diligent person

Colloquial metaphor comparing a hardworking person to a worker ant; often used in casual conversation.

働はたらき蜂ばち
Means 'worker bee'; similar metaphor for a hard worker, but specifically from bees.
勤きん勉べん
A more formal adjective meaning 'diligent' or 'industrious', without the insect metaphor.

働はたらきアリUsage25%
Standard spelling combining kanji and katakana; widely used in biological and everyday contexts.
ハタラキアリUsage64%
働はたらき蟻ありUsage8%
Kanji spelling for あり; less common but still seen, especially in formal or scientific writing.
働はたらきありUsage2%
search-only kanji form
Search-only kana form; not a standard written variant.

Compound of 働き (hataraki, 'working') and アリ (ari, 'ant'). The metaphorical sense derives from the observation of worker ants' industriousness.