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手代 (てだい) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Freq. Frequency Top 100,000 Meanings 1
noun
sales clerk ; shop assistant
Historically used for a clerk in a merchant house during the Edo period; in modern contexts, it can refer to a sales clerk in a traditional or small business setting.
Kanji 代 substitute, change, convert Similar words 店てん 員いん 店員 is the general modern term for a store employee or sales clerk, while 手代 has a historical or traditional nuance.
番ばん 頭とう 番頭 is a higher-ranking position than 手代 in a traditional merchant house, often the head clerk or manager.
Etymology Composed of 手 (hand) and 代 (substitute, generation), originally referring to a person who acts on behalf of a merchant, handling sales and clerical work.
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The sales clerk at that long-established store has extensive product knowledge.
