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仕事をする
shigoto o suru
to work
彼は毎日8時間仕事をする。
He works 8 hours every day.
formal
To perform one's job or employment duties; to engage in labor for pay.
彼女は銀行で仕事をしている。
She works at a bank.
このプロジェクトで多くの仕事をする必要がある。
I need to do a lot of work on this project.
Used for formal employment contexts. The verb する (to do) attaches to nouns to indicate performing an action related to that noun.
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
When to use 仕事をする vs. 働く
Use 仕事をする for formal employment contexts (e.g., office jobs, professional roles). Use 働く for general labor, physical work, or when emphasizing effort (e.g., 農民は畑で働く 'Farmers work in the fields').
Gold Rule
Particle usage with 仕事をする
The particle を is required after 仕事 when indicating the object of the verb (the work being done). Omitting を makes the phrase sound unnatural: × 仕事する (incorrect), ✓ 仕事をする (correct).
Word Origin
仕事 (shigoto) combines 仕 (tsuka-eru, 'to serve') and 事 (koto, 'thing/matter'), originally meaning 'service' or 'duty'. The verb する (suru, 'to do') is added to indicate performing the action of work. The phrase emerged in the Edo period as a formal way to refer to employment duties.
Usage Notes
More formal than 働く (hataraku, 'to work' in general) or 働く (dutsu, 'to labor'). Often used in professional or office contexts. The noun 仕事 alone means 'job' or 'work', while 仕事をする emphasizes the action of working.
Word Breakdown
仕事
work/job
nounを
object marker
particleする
to do
verb和英辞典