Japanese symbol for “helper”
手伝い
てつだい
Romaji: tetsudai
helper; assistant
In Japanese, helper is 手伝い, read てつだい (tetsudai).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n helper; assistant
- n help; assistance
Written forms: 手伝い、手つだい. Readings: てつだい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “helper”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 助手 | じょしゅ joshu | assistant; helper |
| 助っ人 | すけっと suketto | helper; supporter; second |
| お手伝い | おてつだい otetsudai | maid; helper |
| ヘルパー | ヘルパー herupaa | helper |
| 介添え | かいぞえ kaizoe | helper (e.g. for a sick person); assistant |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 相手 | あいて aite | companion; partner; company |
| 選手 | せんしゅ senshu | player (of a sport); athlete; team member |
| 手段 | しゅだん shudan | means; way; method |
| 手術 | しゅじゅつ shujutsu | surgery; operation; procedure |
| 大手 | おおて oote | major company; big company |
| 手紙 | てがみ tegami | letter; note |
| 伝統 | でんとう dentou | tradition; convention |
| 宣伝 | せんでん senden | publicity; advertisement; advertising |
See also: Chinese symbol for “helper”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.