labor

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 労 concerns working or expending effort; its on-reading is ろう.
• Basic usage: 労働 refers to labor, while 苦労 refers to hardship or trouble experienced in doing something.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Labor and hardship
  • 労働 focuses on the activity of working; 苦労 focuses on difficulty experienced along the way. Trouble finding a room can also be described with 苦労.
• Kun-reading meanings
  • いたわる means to care for someone, while ねぎらう means to acknowledge and express appreciation for someone's efforts. Distinguish these from the work itself in 労働.