仕つかえる

つ

か

え

る

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

仕える · ichidan verb

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	仕つかえる	仕つかえない
Polite	仕つかえます	仕つかえません
Past polite	仕つかえました	仕つかえませんでした
Past	仕つかえた	仕つかえなかった
Te-form	仕つかえて	仕つかえないで
Desire	仕つかえたい	仕つかえたくない
Potential	仕つかえられるalso 仕つかえれる	仕つかえられないalso 仕つかえれない
Passive	仕つかえられる	仕つかえられない
Causative	仕つかえさせる	仕つかえさせない
Causative passive	仕つかえさせられる	仕つかえさせられない
Volitional	仕つかえよう
Polite volitional	仕つかえましょう
Imperative	仕つかえろ	仕つかえるな
Conditional	仕つかえれば	仕つかえなければ
Tara conditional	仕つかえたら	仕つかえなかったら

Meanings

ichidan verb, intransitive verb

serve; work for; attend

Used for serving a master, lord, or employer in a loyal or subordinate capacity. Often implies a long-term, dedicated relationship, such as a retainer serving a feudal lord or an employee serving a company. The object is marked with に.

彼かれは長なが年ねん、その会かい社しゃに仕つかえている。
He has served that company for many years.
忠ちゅう実じつな家け来らいが王おうに仕つかえた。
A loyal retainer served the king.

See all 190 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉に仕つかえるto serve someone (a lord, master, employer)
彼かれは長なが年ねん、あの貴き族ぞくに仕つかえている。
He has served that noble for many years.
〈人ひと〉のもとで仕つかえるto serve under someone's authority
彼かの女じょはその大だい名みょうのもとで長ながく仕つかえた。
She served long under that daimyo.
忠ちゅう実じつに仕つかえるto serve someone loyally
家か臣しんは主しゅ君くんに忠ちゅう実じつに仕つかえた。
The retainer served his lord loyally.

Expressions

神かみに仕つかえるserve God
主しゅ人じんに仕つかえるserve a master; serve one's employer faithfully
二に君くんに仕つかえずone cannot serve two masters

Kanji

仕attend, doing, official
事matter, thing, fact

Related words

務つとめるN5
勤める focuses on being employed by a company or organization, while 仕える carries a stronger sense of personal loyalty to a master or superior.
奉ほう仕しN1
奉仕する means to serve society or others through volunteer-like dedication, whereas 仕える implies a hierarchical master-servant relationship.
はべる
侍る is an archaic, literary word for attending closely at a noble's or lord's side, while 仕える is the more general modern term for serving a master or employer.

Politeness

仕つかまつる
仕える is the modern plain verb meaning 'to serve', while 仕る (in its archaic sense) is its old-fashioned humble form.

Don't confuse with

使つかえるN1
使える is a homophone meaning 'usable/capable', completely unrelated to 仕える, which means to serve a person or master.
支ささえるN3
支える looks similar in kanji to 仕える but is read differently and means 'to support', not 'to serve a master'.

Word family

仕つかえ女め
maidservant
側そば仕づかえ
personal attendant; valet; maid
宮みや仕づかえ
court service; serving at the imperial court
仕つかえ奉まつる
to serve (humbly); to build as commanded (humbly)
兼かね仕つかえる
serve at the same time; hold two posts simultaneously

Written forms

仕つかえるUsage96%
Standard kanji spelling; used in most contexts.
事つかえるUsage3%
Rare variant; not commonly used in modern Japanese.
つかえるUsage1%

Etymology

Derived from the verb つく (付く, 'to attach') with an old intransitive suffix, originally meaning 'to be attached to someone' and evolving into 'to serve'.