The Meaning of tetsudai [手伝い] In Japanese

手伝い
てつだい
Romaji: tetsudai N5

What does 手伝い mean?

Translation and Meaning

help, assistance, helper

Definition

手伝い means help or assistance, or a person who helps; it describes giving support to perform tasks and can refer to a formal or casual helper in a family, workplace, or organization.

Type

noun (名詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • help or assistance provided to someone
  • a person who helps; an assistant or helper
  • a domestic helper or maid in historical or formal contexts
  • the act of helping, often used in phrases like 家事の手伝い or 学校行事の手伝い

Etymology

手伝う (てつだう, tetsudau) with the nominalizing suffix い; the first character 手 means ‘hand’ and the combination with 伝 (from the verb tsudau) yields the sense of providing help by hand.

Composition

  • 手: hand
  • 伝: part of the verb 手伝う; together with the suffix い forms the noun representing the act of helping

Usage

As a noun, 手伝い refers to the act of helping or to a person who helps. It appears in casual and formal contexts, often with の or をする to specify the type of help, such as 家事の手伝い (domestic help) or 事務の手伝い (administrative assistance); to express the action of helping, use 手伝う, the verb form.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: imagine two hands offering a tool to someone—hand + aid; the scene embodies lending a hand and helps recall the meaning of 手伝い.

Variations

  • 援助 enjo — formal synonym
  • 協力 kyōryoku — cooperation
  • 家事の手伝い kaji no tetsudai — domestic help
  • 介助 kaijo — assistance, support

Words with the same Meaning

Example Phrases

  • 今日は 全く 手伝いがなく 家事が 山積みだ
    Kyou wa mattaku tetsudai ga naku kaji ga yamazumi da
    Today there is absolutely no help, and the housework is piling up.
    Lista:
    • 今日は (kyou wa) – today
    • 全く (mattaku) – completely
    • 手伝いがなく (tetsudai ga naku) – without help
    • 家事が (kaji ga) – housework
    • 山積みだ (yamazumi da) – is piled up
    全く is an adverb that intensifies negation; here 「全く」 emphasizes that there is no help.
  • 町の 住民は 公園の 清掃を 手伝います。
    machi no jūmin wa kōen no seisou o tetsudaimasu.
    The town’s residents help with cleaning the park.
    Lista:
    • 町の (machi no) – town’s
    • 住民は (jūmin wa) – residents (topic marker)
    • 公園の (kōen no) – park’s
    • 清掃を (seisou o) – cleaning (object)
    • 手伝います (tetsudaimasu) – help
    住民 means residents; here it is the subject marked by は, as in 「住民」.
  • 今日は 友達の 引っ越しの 手伝いを した。
    Kyou wa tomodachi no hikkoshi no tetsudai o shita.
    I helped with a friend’s move today.
    Lista:
    • 今日は (Kyou wa) – today
    • 友達の (Tomodachi no) – friend’s
    • 引っ越しの (Hikkoshi no) – move’s / of moving
    • 手伝いを (Tetsudai o) – help
    • した (Shita) – did
    「手伝い」 is a noun meaning ‘help/assistance’, used with をした to indicate performing help with X; here X is 引っ越し.
  • 今日は介護の手伝いをして少し疲れた。
    Kyou wa kaigo no tetsudai o shite sukoshi tsukareta.
    Today I helped with caregiving and got a little tired.
    Lista:
    • 今日は (Kyou wa) – Today
    • 介護 (kaigo) – caregiving
    • の (no) – of
    • 手伝い (tetsudai) – help
    • を (o) – object marker
    • して (shite) – doing
    • 少し (sukoshi) – a little
    • 疲れた (tsukareta) – tired
    「介護」 funciona como substantivo; aqui forma 「介護の手伝い」 (ajudar no cuidado). O 「を」 marca o objeto; 「して」 conecta ações.
手伝い