Japanese word

世話

Pronunciation

Romajisewa

Meaning

  • nouncare

Example

母が弟の世話をします。haha ga otōto no se wa o shi ma su

My mother takes care of my younger brother.

Illustration for 世話 (care)

More examples

毎日世話をします。mai nichi se wa o shi ma su

I take care of him every day.

旅行中は隣人が猫の世話をしてくれました。ryo kō chū wa rin jin ga neko no se wa o shi te ku re ma shi ta

Our neighbor took care of our cat while we were traveling.

Core concept

Centers on giving attentive, practical support to a person or thing that needs it.

Common phrases

  • 世話をするse wa o su ru

    take care of

  • 世話になるse wa ni na ru

    receive help

  • 世話を焼くse wa o ya ku

    fuss over

Similar words

面倒mendō: Care or attention provided to someone or something in daily life.
看病kanbyō: Care given to a sick or injured person during recovery.

Definition in Japanese

他人や生き物に気を配り、必要な手助けをすること。ta nin ya i ki mono ni ki o kuba ri hitsu yō na te dasu ke o su ru ko to

Word origin

The Sino-Japanese word 世話 (sewa) combines 世 (se, "world") and 話 (wa, "talk"); it originally meant worldly talk and later developed the sense of care or help.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Japanese, 世話になる (sewa ni naru) means to receive care or help from someone, describing the person who receives support rather than the person who provides it.

Other meanings

  • helpnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word