1.
hard work; toil; trouble; hardship
Effort and suffering endured to accomplish something, expressed with the honorific prefix ご to show respect for the person's efforts.
長年のご労苦に感謝いたします。
We are grateful for your many years of hard work.
皆様のご労苦のおかげで成功しました。
It was a success thanks to everyone's efforts.
ご労苦をおかけして大変申し訳ございません。
I sincerely apologize for the trouble I have caused you.
ご労苦 is a formal, respectful expression typically used in business, ceremonies, and formal letters. The prefix ご elevates the word 労苦 (toil, hardship) to show deference to the person whose efforts are being acknowledged.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- ご労苦をねぎらう — to show appreciation for someone's hard work
- ご労苦を察する — to appreciate someone's difficulties
- ご労苦をおかけする — to cause someone hardship
- ご労苦に報いる — to repay someone's efforts
SIMILAR WORDS:
- ご苦労 — trouble; effort (slightly less formal; also used as ご苦労さま)
- ご尽力 — great effort; exertion (focuses on dedicated effort toward a goal)
- ご努力 — effort; endeavor (more neutral, broader usage)
REGISTER: Formal and respectful. Used when addressing superiors, in speeches, or in written correspondence.