よそう

よ

そ

う

よそう · godan verb (-u)

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	よそう	よそわない
Polite	よそいます	よそいません
Past polite	よそいました	よそいませんでした
Past	よそった	よそわなかった
Te-form	よそって	よそわないで
Desire	よそいたい	よそいたくない
Potential	よそえる	よそえない
Passive	よそわれる	よそわれない
Causative	よそわせる	よそわせない
Causative passive	よそわせられるalso よそわされる	よそわせられないalso よそわされない
Volitional	よそおう
Polite volitional	よそいましょう
Imperative	よそえ	よそうな
Conditional	よそえば	よそわなければ
Tara conditional	よそったら	よそわなかったら

Meanings

godan verb (-u), transitive verb

serve; dish up; dish out

usually written using kana alone

Used for serving food into bowls or plates, typically at home. Common in everyday cooking and mealtime contexts.

ご飯はんを茶ちゃ碗わんによそう。
I serve rice into a bowl.
スープをお皿さらによそってください。
Please dish the soup into bowls.

godan verb (-u), transitive verb

dress oneself in; attire oneself in; adorn; decorate

usually written using kana alone

Rare, literary use for dressing or adorning oneself. The cross-reference to 装う (よそおう) suggests this is a variant or older form; modern Japanese normally uses 装う (よそおう) or 着飾る.

Kanji

装attire, dress, pretend
粧cosmetics, adorn (one's person)

Related words

装よそおう
Common verb meaning 'to dress up' or 'to feign'. よそう is a rare variant for the dressing sense, but よそおう is the standard modern form.
盛もる
Also means 'to serve' or 'to heap' food, but よそう is more specific to dishing out into individual bowls or plates, while 盛る emphasizes piling up or arranging food attractively.

Written forms

よそうUsage94%
Usually written in kana; the kanji spellings 装う and 粧う are rare and may be confused with 装う (よそおう).
粧よそうUsage6%
Very rare kanji spelling; not recommended for learners.
装よそう
Rare kanji spelling; easily confused with 装う (よそおう, 'to dress up' or 'to feign').

Etymology

The historical derivation is uncertain. The kanji 装 and 粧 are associated with dressing and adorning, but the kana form よそう is the usual modern spelling for the serving sense.