How to Say ‘Can you work?’ in Japanese
働けますか。
hatarake masu ka
[hah-tah-rah-keh mah-soo kah]
💬 Usage Tip: [働けますか] asks about ability/availability. You can reply with [はい、働けます] or give a start date.
🇯🇵 In Japan: In interviews, it often implies “Are you available to work (these shifts)?” not just physical ability.
Phrase Breakdown
働けます
hatarake masu
can work; be able to work
Potential form of 働きます (to work) → 働けます (can work). Used to talk about ability/availability to work.
明日、働けます。
I can work tomorrow.
Words in this phrase
働け
hatarake
[hah-tah-rah-keh]
can work (potential form stem)
Used with ます and か to ask/answer about ability/availability to work.
土日は働けますかと確認されました。
They checked, “Can you work on Saturdays and Sundays?”
ます
masu
[mah-soo]
polite verb ending “-masu”
Makes the verb polite; common in caregiver job interviews.
丁寧に働けますと答えると印象が良いです。
It makes a good impression to answer politely, “I can work.”
か
ka
[kah]
(question marker) ?
Turns 働けます into a question: 働けますか “Can you work?”
週に何日働けますかと聞かれました。
I was asked, “How many days a week can you work?”
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