JLPT N3・N5 Vocabulary – The difference between “働く” and “勤める”

Table of Contents

1. The difference between “働はたらく” and “勤つとめる”
2. 働はたらく
3. 勤つとめる
4. Summary
5. Quiz
6. Similar Articles
7. Comment

Q: Do “働はたらく” and “勤つとめる” have the same meaning?

A: They are sometimes used in similar situations, but their meanings and usage are slightly different.
Simply put, ”働はたらく” refers to working in general.
On the other hand, ”勤つとめる” means to work while belonging to an organization, such as a company, school, or hospital.
Let’s take a closer look.

働はたらく (JLPT N5)

”働はたらく” is a basic word that means to work.
It can be used when someone works in various places, such as a company, shop, factory, or restaurant.
Even when the person’s job or position is not clearly stated, it can be used to mean “working there.”
The particle ”で” is used to show the place where someone works.

[Examples]
父ちちは30年ねん、エンジニアとして働はたらきました。
My father worked as an engineer for 30 years.
⇒ This means that he worked as an engineer.
The focus is on the fact that he worked, rather than the company name or the organization he belonged to.

日本にほんの会社かいしゃで働はたらいています。
I work at a Japanese company.
⇒ This means that the person works in the place or environment of a Japanese company.
It does not specifically show their position or employment type.

今日きょうはたくさん働はたらいて疲つかれました。

I worked a lot today and got tired.
⇒ This means that the person actually worked and used their body or mind.

働はたらくことは大変たいへんです。
Working is tough.
⇒ This talks about working in general.

勤つとめる (JLPT N3)

”勤つとめる” means to work while belonging to an organization, such as a company, school, hospital, or government office.
It focuses on “where someone belongs” or “where someone is employed.”
For this reason, it is often used when talking about a company name or workplace.

[Examples]
母ははは25年間ねんかん、銀行ぎんこうに勤つとめました。

My mother worked at a bank for 25 years.
⇒ This shows that my mother belonged to and worked for the organization of a bank.

山田やまださんの息子むすこさんは有名ゆうめいな企業きぎょうに勤つとめています。

Mr. Yamada’s son works for a well-known company.
⇒ This means that he belongs to and works for a well-known company.

兄あには病院びょういんに勤つとめています。

My older brother works at a hospital.
⇒ This shows that he belongs to and works for the organization of a hospital.
From this sentence alone, we do not know his specific job, such as whether he is a doctor, nurse, or office worker.

[How to use ”お勤め先つと　さき”]

”勤つとめる” can also be used as the noun ”勤め先つと　さき.”
”勤め先つと　さき” means the company or organization where someone works.
When politely asking about another person’s workplace, we say ”お勤め先つと　さき.”

[Examples]
お勤め先つと　さきはどちらですか。

Where do you work?
⇒ This is a polite expression used to ask about the company or organization where the other person works.

お勤め先つと　さきの電話でんわ番号ばんごうを教おしえていただけますか。

Could you tell me the phone number of your workplace?
⇒ This politely asks for the phone number of someone’s company or workplace.

私わたしの勤め先つと　さきはYCA株式かぶしき会社かいしゃです。

The company I work for is YCA Co., Ltd.
⇒ When talking about your own company, you usually do not add ”お.” You say ”勤め先.”

Summary

	Meaning	Focus	Particle
働はたらく	To work	The act of working	会社かいしゃで働はたらく
勤つとめる	To work while belonging to a company or organization	The place or workplace someone belongs to	会社かいしゃに勤つとめる

Quiz

Read the following sentence and choose the expression that fits the context from the options provided in the parentheses.

Click on the question to check the answer.

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