労ろう

ろ

う

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

Refers to physical or mental exertion, often with a sense of hardship or difficulty. Common in formal and written contexts, and in compounds like 労力 (labour), 苦労 (hardship), 労を惜しまない (spare no effort).

彼かれは労ろうを惜おしまずに働はたらいた。
He worked without sparing any effort.
長なが年ねんの労ろうが実みを結むすんだ。
Years of toil bore fruit.

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Usage patterns

〈事こと〉のために労ろうを尽つくすto exert all one's effort for something
彼かれは会かい社しゃの再さい建けんのために労ろうを尽つくした。
He devoted all his efforts to rebuilding the company.
〈人ひと〉の労ろうに感かん謝しゃするto thank someone for their trouble/effort
皆みなさんの労ろうに感かん謝しゃいたします。
I would like to thank everyone for their efforts.

Expressions· 10

ご苦く労ろうさんthanks for your hard work; I appreciate your efforts
薪しん水すいの労ろうmenial services; humble domestic work; serving one's master unsparingly
労ろうせずしてwithout effort; easily
労ろうを惜おしまずsparing no effort; taking pains to do
苦く労ろうをかけるcause trouble; burden someone

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仲ちゅう介かいの労ろうをとるact as a mediator; serve as an intermediary; be a go-between
逸いつを以もって労ろうを待まつwait at ease for the exhausted enemy
労ろう多おおくして功こう少すくなしall pain and no gain; lots of effort, little reward
若わかい時ときの苦労くろうは買こうてもせよspare no effort while you are young; heavy work in youth is quiet rest in old age

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Kanji

労labor, thank for, reward for

Related words

苦く労ろうN3
苦労 stresses hardship and worry that comes with an effort, while 労 is the more neutral, formal term for the effort or toil itself.
労ろう力りょくN1
労力 refers concretely to the physical or mental power expended on a task, whereas 労 is the more abstract, literary word for the effort itself.
努ど力りょくN3
努力 is the everyday word for making an effort toward a personal goal, while 労 is more formal and carries a stronger sense of toil or trouble.

Don't confuse with

老ろう
労 (effort, toil) and 老 (old age) share the same reading ろう but are unrelated in meaning, so listeners must rely on context or kanji.

Word family· 50

労ろう働どうN3
labor; labour; work · Labour Party
苦く労ろうN3
trouble; hardship; difficulty; labor; toil; pains · anxiety; worry; concern; cares
疲ひ労ろうN2
fatigue; weariness; exhaustion · metal fatigue
労ろう力りょくN1
labor; effort; toil
ご苦く労ろう
trouble; hard work · thank you for your hard work; I appreciate your efforts

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過か労ろうN1
overwork; excessive work; strain from overwork
就しゅう労ろう
working; being employed; employment
労ろう災さい
work-related injury, illness, or death; on-the-job accident · workers' compensation insurance
労ろう組そ
labor union; trade union
勤きん労ろうN1
labor; work; diligent service
労ろう務む
labor; work; service
労ろう使し
labor and management
功こう労ろう
meritorious deed; distinguished service
心しん労ろう
mental strain; anxiety; worry
苦く労ろう人にん
worldly-wise person; person who has seen much of life
労ろう連れん
labor union; trade union
徒と労ろう
fruitless effort; wasted effort; futility
慰い労ろう
recognition of services; appreciation for hard work
労ろう苦く
labor; toil; hardship
漁ぎょ労ろう
fishing; fishery
労ろう役えき
physical labor; hard manual work; toil
労ろう作さく
toil; labor; laborious task · painstaking work; work of great effort
労ろう政せい
labor administration; labour administration
足そく労ろう
trouble of going somewhere; inconvenience of making a trip
不ふ労ろう
unearned; without labor
労ろう々ろう
tired out; exhausted; weary
労ろう功こう
meritorious deed; distinguished service
労ろう咳がい
pulmonary tuberculosis
労ろう委い
labor-relations board
労ろう症しょう
tabes; phthisis; pulmonary tuberculosis

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Etymology

The kanji 労 is composed of 力 (strength) and a simplified form of 熒 (to shine), suggesting exertion that consumes energy. The reading ろう is the on'yomi.