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使用人 (しようにん) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

使し用よう人にん

し

よ

う

に

ん

Common word›JLPTN1›Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

employee; servant

Refers to a person employed to do domestic or personal work, such as a maid, butler, or household staff. Often implies a live-in or dependent relationship in older contexts, but can be used neutrally for any hired help.

彼かの女じょはその家いえの使し

用よう

人にん

と

し

て

働はたら

い

て

いる

。

She works as a servant in that household.

昔むかしは多おおくの家いえに使し用よう人にんがいた。

In the past, many households had servants.

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉を使し用よう人にんとして雇やとうto hire someone as a servant
その貴き族ぞくは多おおくの使し用よう人にんとして雇やとった。
The aristocrat hired many people as servants.
使し用よう人にんを解かい雇こするto dismiss a servant
屋や敷しきの主しゅ人じんは無ぶ礼れいな使し用よう人にんを解かい雇こした。
The master of the estate dismissed the rude servant.
使し用よう人にんに〈事こと〉を命めいじるto order a servant to do something
夫ふ人じんは使し用よう人にんに夕ゆう食しょくの準じゅん備びを命めいじた。
The lady ordered the servant to prepare dinner.

Kanji

使use, send on a mission, order
用utilize, business, service
人person

Related words· 6

従じゅう業ぎょう員いんN2
従業員 is the general, business-register term for any company employee, while 使用人 traditionally denotes personal or domestic servants.
召めし使つかい
召使い is an older, more literary word for a personal servant, closely overlapping with 使用人 but sounding even more feudal.
メイド
メイド is a modern loanword specifically for a maid, whereas 使用人 is a broader, more traditional term covering any household staff.
しもべN1
使用人 is the neutral modern word for an employee or servant, while しもべ carries an old-fashioned, literary flavor.

Show 2 more

抱かかえ
使用人 is the neutral general word for an employee or servant, while 抱え emphasizes a personally kept or dependent employee (like a private chauffeur or lawyer).
執しつ事じ
使用人 is a general term for any household servant or employee, while 執事 specifically denotes a senior steward or butler with managerial duties.

Opposites

雇やとい主ぬし
雇い主 is the person who hires and pays someone, the direct opposite role to 使用人, the person who is employed.
主しゅ人じんN4
主人 as 'employer/master' is opposed to 使用人, meaning 'servant' or 'employee' who serves under the 主人.

Don't confuse with

使し用よう者しゃ
使用者 looks nearly identical to 使用人 but means the employer/user who employs someone, not the servant who is employed.

Counted with

人にん
使用人 is counted with 人, the standard counter for people.
名めいN2
名 is used to count 使用人 in more formal or polite contexts, such as when listing household staff.

Built from

使し+用よう人にん

Etymology

Compound of 使用 (use, employ) and 人 (person). The word literally means 'a person who is employed', and has been used since at least the Edo period to refer to domestic servants.