仕える
Japanese
Kanji in this term |
---|
仕 |
つか Grade: 3 |
kun'yomi |
Etymology
/tukapu/ → /t͡sukafu/ → /t͡sukafuru/ → /t͡sukaferu/ → /t͡sukaeru/
From Old Japanese. Appears in the Man'yōshū of 759.[1]
Cognate with 使う (tsukau, ancient tsukapu; “to use”), and derived via regular historical processes from the 下二段活用 (shimo nidan katsuyō, “lower bigrade conjgation”) verb paradigm from this same root form. While the 四段活用 (yodan katsuyō, “quadrigrade conjugation”) pattern for tsukau was used to refer to the action of a superior to a subordinate, the shimo nidan conjugation pattern was used to refer to the action of a subordinate to a superior.[1]
Pronunciation
- (Tokyo) つかえる [tsùkáéꜜrù] (Nakadaka – [3])[2]
- (Tokyo) つかえる [tsùkáérú] (Heiban – [0])[2]
- IPA(key): [t͡sɨka̠e̞ɾɯ̟]
- Tokyo pitch accent of conjugated forms of "仕える"
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary | |||
Stem forms | |||
---|---|---|---|
Terminal (終止形) Attributive (連体形) |
仕える | つかえる つかえる |
[tsùkáéꜜrù] [tsùkáꜜèrù] |
Imperative (命令形) | 仕えろ | つかえろ つかえろ |
[tsùkáéꜜrò] [tsùkáꜜèrò] |
Key constructions | |||
Passive | 仕えられる | つかえられる | [tsùkáéráréꜜrù] |
Causative | 仕えさせる | つかえさせる | [tsùkáésáséꜜrù] |
Potential | 仕えられる | つかえられる | [tsùkáéráréꜜrù] |
Volitional | 仕えよう | つかえよー | [tsùkáéyóꜜò] |
Negative | 仕えない | つかえない | [tsùkáéꜜnàì] |
Negative perfective | 仕えなかった | つかえなかった | [tsùkáéꜜnàkàttà] |
Formal | 仕えます | つかえます | [tsùkáémáꜜsù] |
Perfective | 仕えた | つかえた | [tsùkáꜜètà] |
Conjunctive | 仕えて | つかえて | [tsùkáꜜètè] |
Hypothetical conditional | 仕えれば | つかえれば つかえれば |
[tsùkáéꜜrèbà] [tsùkáꜜèrèbà] |
Verb
仕える • (tsukaeru) ←つかへる (tukaferu)?intransitive ichidan (stem 仕え (tsukae), past 仕えた (tsukaeta))
Japanese verb pair | |
---|---|
active | 使う |
mediopassive | 仕える |
- to serve, serve under, take service under
- to enter public service
Usage notes
This verb is intransitive. What would be translated as the object of the this verb in English is marked by に (ni) in Japanese. Examples:
- 最も高い目的に仕える
- motto mo takai mokuteki ni tsukaeru
- to be useful to the highest purpose → to serve the highest purpose
- この数年間、父母に仕えている。
- Kono sūnenkan, chichihaha ni tsukaeteiru.
- I have been being useful to my parents for several years now. → I have been taking care of my parents for several years now.
Conjugation
Katsuyōkei ("stem forms") | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Mizenkei ("imperfective") | 仕え | つかえ | tsukae | |
Ren’yōkei ("continuative") | 仕え | つかえ | tsukae | |
Shūshikei ("terminal") | 仕える | つかえる | tsukaeru | |
Rentaikei ("attributive") | 仕える | つかえる | tsukaeru | |
Kateikei ("hypothetical") | 仕えれ | つかえれ | tsukaere | |
Meireikei ("imperative") | 仕えよ¹ 仕えろ² |
つかえよ¹ つかえろ² |
tsukaeyo¹ tsukaero² | |
Key constructions | ||||
Passive | 仕えられる | つかえられる | tsukaerareru | |
Causative | 仕えさせる 仕えさす |
つかえさせる つかえさす |
tsukaesaseru tsukaesasu | |
Potential | 仕えられる 仕えれる³ |
つかえられる つかえれる³ |
tsukaerareru tsukaereru³ | |
Volitional | 仕えよう | つかえよう | tsukaeyō | |
Negative | 仕えない 仕えぬ 仕えん |
つかえない つかえぬ つかえん |
tsukaenai tsukaenu tsukaen | |
Negative continuative | 仕えず | つかえず | tsukaezu | |
Formal | 仕えます | つかえます | tsukaemasu | |
Perfective | 仕えた | つかえた | tsukaeta | |
Conjunctive | 仕えて | つかえて | tsukaete | |
Hypothetical conditional | 仕えれば | つかえれば | tsukaereba | |
¹ Written imperative ² Spoken imperative ³ Colloquial potential |
Stem forms | |||
---|---|---|---|
Irrealis (未然形) | 仕へ | つかへ | tukafe |
Continuative (連用形) | 仕へ | つかへ | tukafe |
Terminal (終止形) | 仕ふ | つかふ | tukafu |
Attributive (連体形) | 仕ふる | つかふる | tukafuru |
Realis (已然形) | 仕ふれ | つかふれ | tukafure |
Imperative (命令形) | 仕へよ | つかへよ | tukafeyo |
Key constructions | |||
Negative | 仕へず | つかへず | tukafezu |
Contrasting conjunction | 仕ふれど | つかふれど | tukafuredo |
Causal conjunction | 仕ふれば | つかふれば | tukafureba |
Conditional conjunction | 仕へば | つかへば | tukafeba |
Past tense (firsthand knowledge) | 仕へき | つかへき | tukafeki |
Past tense (secondhand knowledge) | 仕へけり | つかへけり | tukafekeri |
Perfect tense (conscious action) | 仕へつ | つかへつ | tukafetu |
Perfect tense (natural event) | 仕へぬ | つかへぬ | tukafenu |
Perfect-continuative tense | 仕へたり | つかへたり | tukafetari |
Volitional | 仕へむ | つかへむ | tukafemu |
Phrases
- 神に仕える (kami ni tsukaeru) serve God
- 主人に仕える (shujin ni tsukaeru): serve a master, serve an employer faithfully
- 二君に仕える (nikun ni tsukaeru): serve two masters
Idioms
- すまじきものは宮仕え (sumajiki mono wa miyazukae): it is better to work for oneself than to work for someone else
Alternative forms
- (rare) 事える (tsukaeru)
Synonyms
- (serve, serve under): 奉仕する (hōshi suru); 奉仕する (bushi suru)
- (enter public service): 仕官する (shikan suru)
Derived terms
- 仕え女 (tsukaeme): maidservant
- 仕え奉る (tsukaematsuru): to serve; to build something as commanded
- 側仕え (sobazukae): personal attendant, valet, maid
- 宮仕え (miyazukae): service to the royal court; public service, company employment
- 兼ね仕える (kanetsukaeru): to serve multiple masters or causes at the same time
Related terms
References
- Japanese terms spelled with 仕 read as つか
- Japanese terms read with kun'yomi
- Japanese terms inherited from Old Japanese
- Japanese terms derived from Old Japanese
- Japanese terms with IPA pronunciation
- Japanese lemmas
- Japanese verbs
- Japanese intransitive verbs
- Japanese type 2 verbs
- Japanese terms spelled with third grade kanji
- Japanese terms with 1 kanji
- Japanese terms with usage examples
- Japanese basic words