Breakdown of watasi ha zibun no sigoto wo taisetu ni simasu.
Questions & Answers about watasi ha zibun no sigoto wo taisetu ni simasu.
自分 literally means “oneself / one’s own”.
In this sentence, 自分の仕事 means “one’s own job / my own job.”
- 自分 by itself = oneself
- 自分の N = one’s own N
Because you’re talking about the job that belongs to the speaker, you use 自分の in front of 仕事:
- 自分 + の + 仕事 → “one’s own job” → here: “my own job”
You can say 私の仕事, and it’s grammatically fine:
- 私は私の仕事を大切にします。
However, there’s a nuance difference:
- 私の仕事 = “my job” in a straightforward, possessive way
- 自分の仕事 = “my own job,” with a slightly more neutral / reflexive feel
自分 is often used in Japanese when the speaker is referring back to the subject (here: 私) in a more “reflexive” way. It also feels slightly less “me, me, me” than constantly repeating 私.
In many contexts, 自分の仕事 will sound a bit more natural than 私の仕事 when the subject is already 私.
Yes, you can absolutely say:
- 自分の仕事を大切にします。
Japanese often omits the subject when it’s obvious from context.
If it’s clear you’re talking about yourself, this sentence is perfectly natural and commonly used.
Using 私は makes the topic explicit, which may be useful if:
- You’re contrasting yourself with others:
- 私は自分の仕事を大切にしますが、彼はそうでもありません。
- You’re introducing yourself or making a clear statement about your own values.
Otherwise, omitting 私 is usual and often sounds more natural.
は marks the topic, and が usually marks the subject (among other uses).
- 私は自分の仕事を大切にします。
→ “As for me, I value my own job.”
Here, 私 is being presented as the topic—the thing we’re talking about. The focus of the statement is really what I do with my job (I treat it as important), not on who does it.
If you said:
- 私が自分の仕事を大切にします。
it would sound more like you are:
- Contrasting who does it (I, not someone else), or
- Answering a question like “Who will value their job?”
So は = “as for me / talking about me,” which fits a general statement of personal policy or habit.
の here is the possessive or modifier particle. It links a noun that modifies another noun:
- 自分 (oneself) → modifier
- 仕事 (job) → main noun
自分の仕事 literally: “self’s job” → “one’s own job”
The pattern is the same as in English “my job”, except Japanese uses の instead of changing the form of the pronoun:
- 私 → 私の
- 彼 → 彼の
- 自分 → 自分の
を marks the direct object of a verb.
The core structure here is:
- 仕事を大切にします。
“(I) do 大切にする to the job.”
In Japanese, 大切にする works as a verb phrase: “to treat (something) as important / to cherish.” Whatever you cherish / value is marked with を:
- 家族を大切にします。 – I value my family.
- 時間を大切にしなさい。 – Value your time.
大切 (たいせつ) is a na-adjective meaning “important; precious; cherished.”
When you combine a na-adjective + に + する, it often means “to treat something as X / to make it X / to do X-ly.”
So:
- 大切 (important, precious)
- 大切にする = “to treat something as important / to cherish / to value”
The に turns 大切 into an adverbial-like form here: “to do (something) importantly / in a cherishing way” → idiomatically, “to value / cherish.”
This is a very common set phrase:
- N を 大切にする – to value / cherish N
- N を きれいにする – to make N clean
- N を 大事にする – to take good care of N
大切です uses 大切 as a predicate adjective:
- この仕事は大切です。 – This job is important.
That just describes the job itself as important.
In 大切にします, 大切にする is a verb phrase meaning “to treat as important / to value / to cherish.” It describes your action or attitude toward the job:
- 仕事は大切です。 – The job is important (as a fact).
- 仕事を大切にします。 – (I) value my job / take good care of my job.
So if you want to talk about your behavior / stance, use 大切にする, not 大切です.
The Japanese “non-past” form します covers:
- Present habitual: “I (generally) do / I usually do”
- Future: “I will do”
In this sentence, context decides. With no specific time reference, it’s normally read as:
- A general statement of attitude or habit:
→ “I value my job / I (make a point to) value my job.”
In some contexts (like making a promise), it can lean toward future:
- “From now on, I will value my job.”
But by default, think of します here as a general principle or habit rather than a one-time future event.
します is the polite -ます form of する, suitable for:
- Talking to strangers, superiors, teachers, in formal writing, etc.
Casual equivalents:
- 自分の仕事を大切にする。 – Neutral casual statement
- 自分の仕事、大切にしてる。 – More conversational, sounds like “I (really) take care of my job.”
If you keep 私は in casual speech, it’s fine but can sound a little stiff unless you want emphasis:
- 俺は自分の仕事を大切にする。 (masculine casual)
- 私は自分の仕事を大切にする。 (could still be used in relatively formal but non-ます speech)
Yes, you can change the order somewhat, but the nuance changes.
自分の仕事は大切にします。
- Topic = 自分の仕事 (“my own job, as for that”)
- Nuance: “As for my job, I value it.”
- Often sounds like contrast with other things:
→ e.g., “I might not care about other things, but my job I value.”
自分の仕事を私は大切にします。
- Keeps 自分の仕事を right before the verb (typical), but puts 私は later.
- Emphasizes 私, often with a contrasting feel:
→ “I, for my part, value my job.” (implying others maybe don’t)
The original:
- 私は自分の仕事を大切にします。
is the most neutral, simple topic → statement pattern.
Both are very similar and often interchangeable, but there are subtle nuances:
大切にする
- Slightly more emotional / affectionate nuance
- Common for people, memories, feelings, relationships, etc.
- Also used for abstract things (time, life, etc.)
大事にする
- Feels a bit more like “take good care of / handle carefully / treat properly”
- Often used for objects, health, promises, etc.
- Also for people and abstract things, but with a shade of “be careful with / not waste / not damage.”
In your sentence, both work:
- 自分の仕事を大切にします。 – I cherish/value my job.
- 自分の仕事を大事にします。 – I take good care of / treat my job as important.
The difference is small; context and personal preference usually decide.
自分 is reflexive: it refers back to the subject (or topic) of the sentence.
- In 私は自分の仕事を大切にします。
→ Subject/topic is 私, so 自分 = “my own”.
Depending on context, 自分 can mean:
- “my own” (when the subject is 私)
- “your own” (when talking to someone and subject is implied “you”)
- “his/her own” (if the subject is 他/彼女, etc.)
- even “our own” with 私たち, etc.
So here, because the topic is 私, 自分 = “my own” and 自分の仕事 = “my own job.”
The nuance is:
- Politeness level: Polite, because of します.
- Emotional tone: Somewhat positive and serious. It expresses your values and attitude towards your work.
It doesn’t sound stiff in Japanese the way “I value my job” might in everyday English speech. It’s a natural way to:
- Talk about your attitude in a self-introduction
- Answer questions about your work values in an interview
- Describe the way you live or what you care about
Casually, people might soften or adjust it:
- 自分の仕事、大切にしてるよ。 – “I really take care of my job, you know.”
Yes, it can, depending on context.
Because します covers both habitual and future, in a context like:
- After reflecting on mistakes
- At the end of a resolution or promise
it can be understood as:
- “From now on, I will value my job.”
- “I’ll make sure to take my job seriously.”
Without context, the default reading is a general statement of policy/attitude, but Japanese relies heavily on context to tilt it toward “from now on” when appropriate.