How to Spell SHIGOTO in Japanese Kanji Characters

Shigoto writes 仕事 in Japanese Kanji characters.

SHI = serve someone, do something

GOTO = thing, affair

The SHI symbol stands for a humble way of saying “do something.” The word Shigoto was originally used to mean just “do something.” It didn’t include the meaning of work. But for people in the old days, doing something was equivalent to doing something for living. So the word Shigoto got to be used to mean “do something for living” or “make money and earn one’s life.” Then it eventually became the word for “work” and “job.”

Stroke Order

Here’s the Youtube video that teaches the stroke order of the Shigoto Kanji characters. The right stroke order makes your Japanese writing beautiful!

What Does Shigoto Mean in English?

Shigoto can be translated as “work”, “job”, “task” and “business” in English. I think the most common translation for Shigoto is “work.”