過労

• 読み: かろう
• ローマ字: karou
• 漢字の分解: 過 (ka) — excessive, to exceed; 労 (rō) — labour, toil
• 発音: /ka.ɾoː/

意味

Overwork; strain; exhaustion from excessive work. A serious social issue in Japan.

A noun describing the state of being overworked to the point of physical and mental exhaustion. Central to Japanese social discourse through the compound 過労死 (karōshi, death from overwork), which gained international recognition. Common phrases include 過労で倒れる (to collapse from overwork) and 過労気味 (somewhat overworked).

例文

1. 過労で体を壊して入院した同僚がいる。
2. 過労死を防ぐための法律が強化された。
3. 最近は過労気味なので休みを取るつもりだ。

使い方ガイド

場面: work, health, social issues, news

トーン: serious

起源と歴史

From Sino-Japanese 過 (ka, excessive/to exceed) + 労 (rō, labour/toil). Literally 'excessive labour,' a compound that became socially significant in Japan during the economic growth period of the 1970s–80s.

文化的背景

時代: Modern

世代: Working age

社会的背景: Universal