家け来らい

け

ら

い

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

noun

Historical term for a samurai's or lord's personal attendant or subordinate. In modern contexts, it can be used figuratively or in historical fiction.

戦せん国ごく時じ代だい、多おおくの家け来らいが主しゅ君くんのために命いのちをかけた。
In the Warring States period, many retainers risked their lives for their lord.

彼かれは社しゃ長ちょうの家け来らいのようにいつも付つき従したがっている。

He always follows the company president around like a retainer.

Written forms

家け来らいUsage97%
Standard kanji form; high priority in news and frequency lists.
けらいUsage3%
家け礼らい
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.
家け頼らい
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.

Kanji

家house, home, family
来come, due, next
礼salute, bow, ceremony
頼

Similar words

家か臣しん
家臣 is a more formal, collective term for a vassal or retainer, often used in historical contexts. 家来 emphasizes a more personal, direct service relationship to a lord.
従じゅう者しゃ
従者 is a general term for an attendant or follower, not necessarily tied to the samurai class. 家来 specifically implies a feudal retainer.

Etymology

Compound of 家 (house/family) and 来 (come), originally referring to someone who comes to serve a household. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term has been used since the feudal era to denote a lord's personal retainer.

trust, request