仕事: True work involves serving others

Today's word should be memorized by anyone who wants to work in Japan. That word is:

仕事

( しごと / shigoto )

Or in other words, "work" or "employment" or "occupation" if you really want to get technical. You can use this word as a noun or you can use it as verb with the addition of "suru" (する). 

A closer look at the kanji will probably give you a closer look at Japanese society altogether. The first character means "serve" (仕) while the second basically means "business" (事). All in all, if you put these two together, your roughly get a feeling of a business based upon service.

I think the Japanese really live up to the word "shigoto" and you can see it in everything that they do. The customer is on a higher level (especially in terms of formal language) and is treated with the utmost respect. Even the lowest of workers (at least in Americans' eyes) are trained to serve the customer with outstanding dignity and respect.

Anyways, learn this word and then enjoy this picture of a gas attendant in Japan (and hopefully chuckle a little, ok?)

Japanese gas workers will do anything to serve you, even if they are really short

Anyways, keep studying and がんばって！