着工

• Reading: ちゃっこう
• Romaji: chakkō
• Kanji breakdown: 着 (chaku/chak) — arrive, commence, attach; 工 (kō) — construction, craft, work
• Pronunciation: /tɕak.koː/

Meaning

Start of construction; groundbreaking. The commencement of a building or infrastructure project.

A verbal noun (着工する) used in construction, real estate, and public works reporting. 着工式 (chakkoshiki) is the groundbreaking ceremony. Government statistics track 着工件数 (number of construction starts) as an economic indicator. The opposite is 竣工 (shunko, completion of construction). 着工 represents the beginning of the physical building phase, after planning and permitting are complete.

Examples

1. 新工場の着工式が盛大に執り行われ、地域の経済活性化への期待が高まった。 The groundbreaking ceremony for the new factory was held in grand style, raising expectations for revitalising the local economy.
2. 建設許可の取得に時間がかかり、当初予定より半年遅れて着工することになった。 Obtaining the building permit took time, and construction ended up starting six months behind the original schedule.
3. 大型公共インフラの着工が相次ぎ、建設業界全体の受注高が急増している。 With major public infrastructure projects breaking ground one after another, total orders across the construction industry have surged.

Usage Guide

Context: construction, real estate, public works, economics

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Compound of 着 (chaku, arrive/attach/start) and 工 (ko, construction/craft/work). The sense of 着 here is 'to commence' or 'to take up,' making 着工 literally 'commencing work on construction.'

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: Adults

Social background: Business/Industrial