Japanese symbol for “labor”
労働
ろうどう
Romaji: roudou
labor; labour; work
In Japanese, labor is 労働, read ろうどう (roudou).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n, vi, vs labor; labour; work
- n Labour Party
Written forms: 労働、労動. Readings: ろうどう.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “labor”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 仕事 | しごと shigoto | work; job; labor |
| 勤労 | きんろう kinrou | labor; labour; exertion |
| 働き | はたらき hataraki | work; labor; labour |
| 苦労 | くろう kurou | trouble; hardship; difficulty |
| 手間 | てま tema | time; labour; labor |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 苦労 | くろう kurou | trouble; hardship; difficulty |
| 疲労 | ひろう hirou | fatigue; weariness; exhaustion |
| 過労 | かろう karou | overwork; strain |
| 勤労 | きんろう kinrou | labor; labour; exertion |
| 労力 | ろうりょく rouryoku | labour; labor; effort |
| 働き | はたらき hataraki | work; labor; labour |
| 稼働 | かどう kadou | operation (of a machine); running |
| 労働省 | ろうどうしょう roudoushou | Ministry of Labour (now Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “labor”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.