Japanese symbol for “maid”
お手伝い
おてつだい
Romaji: otetsudai
maid; helper
In Japanese, maid is お手伝い, read おてつだい (otetsudai).
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 maid; helper
- n, vs, vt help; assistance
Written forms: お手伝い、御手伝い. Readings: おてつだい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “maid”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| メイド | メイド meido | maid |
| 女中 | じょちゅう jochuu | maidservant; housemaid; maid |
| 下回り | したまわり shitamawari | subordinate work; menial service; subordinate |
| お手伝いさん | おてつだいさん otetsudaisan | maid |
| 家政婦 | かせいふ kaseifu | housekeeper; maid |
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 “maid”.
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.