shigoto

Shigoto is the Japanese noun 仕事, read as shigoto, meaning work, job, or tasks. It refers to the activities a person performs as part of employment, as well as more general duties or assignments. The term is used for both paid work and unpaid tasks, and can denote either a person’s occupation or specific duties within a project.

Etymology and nuance: 仕事 is formed from the kanji 仕 (to do, to serve) and 事 (a thing, matter). Historically it conveyed “things to be done,” and in modern Japanese it covers everyday work as well as more formal notions of work duties. The word sits between everyday activity and more formal concepts of profession, and it can apply to both individual tasks and broader responsibilities.

Usage: Common expressions include 仕事をする (to do work), 仕事を探す (to look for work), and 仕事がある／忙しい (there is work / the work is busy). 仕事 is often contrasted with 職業 (shokugyō), which more narrowly means a person’s profession or occupation, whereas 仕事 is broader and more everyday. Verbs such as 働く (hataraku) describe the act of working in general, while 仕事 emphasizes the tasks or duties themselves.

Common compounds and phrases include 仕事場 (workplace), 仕事仲間 (coworker), and 仕事量 (amount of work). In everyday discourse, shigoto can refer to tasks within a project, a day’s duties, or one’s overall professional role, depending on context.