mutual aid; cooperation; mutual benefit
Refers to people helping each other, often in organized or community contexts. Common in phrases like 互助精神 (spirit of mutual aid) and 互助会 (mutual aid association).
The community's mutual aid system supports the elderly.
In the spirit of mutual aid, we help each other out when in need.
This area has long had a deep-rooted spirit of mutual aid.
The municipality is running initiatives to promote mutual aid among residents.
This welfare system is run on the basis of mutual aid among residents.
共助 is typically used in contrast with 自助 (self-help) and 公助 (public assistance), while 互助 stresses reciprocal help directly among individuals or groups.
自助 means helping oneself through one's own effort, the opposite of 互助's reliance on mutual help from others.
Compound of 互 (mutual) and 助 (help). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word has been used since at least the early 20th century in contexts of cooperative movements and social welfare.