Usage patterns 〈 人ひと 〉 が 当とう 番ばん になる for someone to become the one on duty
Today it became my turn to be on cleaning duty.
当とう 番ばん に 当あ たる to be the one whose turn it is for duty
This week it was his turn to be on duty.
当とう 番ばん を 交こう 代たい する to swap/take turns with someone for duty
Since I wasn't feeling well, I had someone take over my duty turn.
当とう 番ばん を 務つと める to serve as the person on duty
He is serving as the lunch duty person this month.
Kanji 番 turn, number in a series Related words 日直 refers specifically to a day-long duty, often at school, while 当番 is a broader term covering any scheduled turn at a task.
係 names a person's ongoing assigned role or responsibility, while 当番 emphasizes a rotating turn or shift among several people.
当番 is a general term for someone whose turn it is to do a task (like cleaning duty), while 当直 specifically refers to overnight or standby duty in professional settings like hospitals.
Don't confuse with 当番 names the person or role currently on duty, while 番 alone is the broader word for the watch or turn itself, not the person holding it.
当番 refers to being on duty or the person currently on duty, while 下番 refers specifically to the act of coming off that duty.
Word family batman; officer's orderly
day on duty; duty day
cleaning duty; one's turn to clean
school lunch duty; lunch monitor
Etymology Compound of 当 (to hit, to be assigned) and 番 (turn, watch). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the kanji combination naturally conveys 'assigned turn'.
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