労力

• Reading: ろうりょく
• Romaji: rouryoku
• Kanji breakdown: 労 (rou) — labour, toil; 力 (ryoku) — power, strength
• Pronunciation: /ɾoː.ɾjo.kɯ/

Meaning

Labour; effort; toil. The physical or mental exertion required to accomplish something.

A noun emphasising the effort and energy invested in a task, often with a nuance of it being substantial or burdensome. Common patterns: 労力をかける (to put in effort), 労力を惜しまない (to spare no effort), 労力の割に (considering the effort involved). More formal than 努力, which focuses on determination rather than the work itself.

Examples

1. この報告書の作成には相当な労力がかかった。 A considerable amount of effort went into putting together this report.
2. 労力の割に成果が出なくて残念だった。 It was disappointing that the results didn't match the effort put in.
3. 手作業の労力を減らすために自動化を進めている。 We're pushing forward with automation to reduce manual labor.

Usage Guide

Context: work, business, project management, daily life

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From Sino-Japanese 労 (rou, labour/toil) + 力 (ryoku, power/strength). Literally 'labour power,' combining the concept of hard work with the energy expended to perform it.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal