手伝てつだい

て

つ

だ

い

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

Refers to a person who helps with a task, event, household work, shop work, and similar practical activities. Less formal than 職務名としての「助手」.

祭まつりの手伝てつだいを三さん人にん募ぼ集しゅうしている。
They are recruiting three helpers for the festival.
店みせが忙いそがしいので、週しゅう末まつだけ手伝てつだいを雇やとった。
The shop is busy, so we hired a helper just for weekends.

noun

help; assistance

Refers to the act or service of helping someone do something. Common in patterns such as 手伝いをする and 手伝いをお願いする.

引ひっ越こしの手伝てつだいをお願ねがいできますか。
Could I ask you to help with the move?
母ははの料りょう理りの手伝てつだいをした。
I helped my mother with the cooking.

See all 94 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉の手て伝つだいをするto help someone (with a task)
母ははの手伝てつだいをした。
I helped my mother.
手て伝つだいを頼たのむto ask for help
引ひっ越こしの手伝てつだいを友とも達だちに頼たのんだ。
I asked a friend for help with the move.
手て伝つだいに行いくto go to help (out)
祭まつりの準じゅん備びの手伝てつだいに行いった。
I went to help prepare for the festival.
〈人ひと〉を手て伝つだいに雇やとうto hire someone as a helper
店みせは忙いそがしい時じ期きだけ手伝てつだいを雇やとっている。
The shop only hires helpers during busy periods.

Kanji

手hand
伝transmit, go along, walk along

Related words· 11

助じょ手しゅN3sense 1
助手 is a more formal, often job-title term for an assistant (e.g. in a lab or office), while 手伝い refers to anyone helping with a practical task.
助たすけN2sense 2
助け covers help or aid in a broader sense, including rescue or emotional support, whereas 手伝い is specifically hands-on assistance with a task.
補ほ助じょN1sense 2
補助 is a more formal or technical word for supplementary assistance or support (often financial or structural), while 手伝い is everyday practical help.
加か勢せい sense 2
加勢 emphasizes joining in to lend strength or numbers to an effort, while 手伝い is more general everyday help with a chore or task.

Show 7 more

力ちから添ぞえ
手伝い is a general, everyday word for helping out, while 力添え is a more formal, often written expression implying a stronger commitment of effort.
助すけっ人と
手伝い is the neutral, everyday word for help or a helper, while 助っ人 suggests a temporary or informal reinforcement, often in sports.
ヘルプ
手伝い is a native Japanese word for helping with a task, often implying hands-on physical assistance, while ヘルプ is a loanword used more for general or technical support.
手て助だすけ
手伝い is the everyday word for helping out with a task, while 手助け sounds slightly more formal or literary.
お世せ話わ
手伝い means concrete help with a specific task, while お世話 covers ongoing personal care or being generally indebted to someone.
助すけ
手伝い is the standard, neutral word for help or a helper, whereas 助 is a dated or literary term rarely used alone in modern speech.
介かい助じょ
手伝い is a casual, everyday word for helping out with anything, whereas 介助 is a more formal term used in medical or caregiving contexts for helping someone with daily physical activities.

Opposites

邪じゃ魔まN4sense 2
邪魔 means to hinder or get in the way, the opposite of 手伝い, which means to help someone accomplish something.

Politeness

お手伝てつだいN1
手伝い is the plain, neutral word for help or a helper, while お手伝い adds the honorific お to make it more polite and often more feminine-sounding.

Counted with

人にん
Used when counting people in general; for a helper/assistant as a person, this is the natural counter.

Word family

お手伝てつだいN1
maid; household helper · help; assistance
お手伝てつだいさんN2
maid; domestic helper
手伝てつだい手て
helper; assistant
家か事じ手伝てつだい
domestic helper; maid; household servant

Written forms

手伝てつだいUsage99%
Standard common spelling for both the person who helps and the act of helping.
手てつだいUsage1%
search-only kanji form
Attested mixed spelling marked as search-only; use 手伝い in normal writing.

Etymology

A noun form related to the verb 手伝う, 'to help.' The spelling combines 手, 'hand,' with 伝い as in the verb, but this is practical spelling guidance rather than a detailed historical derivation.