# 仕える
## Japanese

* Kanji in this term
* 仕
* つか Grade: 3
* kun'yomi
* Alternative spelling
* 事える (rare)

### Etymology

/tukapu/ → /t͡sukafu/ → /t͡sukafuru/ → /t͡sukaferu/ → /t͡sukaeru/
From Old Japanese. Appears in the Man'yōshū of 759.
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.
Natural progression from Old and Classical Japanese 下二段活用 (shimo nidan katsuyō, “lower bigrade conjugation”) verbs ending in -u to modern Japanese 下一段活用 (shimo ichidan katsuyō, “lower monograde conjugation”) verbs ending in -eru.
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.

### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) つかえる [tsùkáéꜜrù] (Nakadaka – [3])
* (Tokyo) つかえる [tsùkáérú] (Heiban – [0])
* IPA: [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(つか)える • (tsukaeru) intransitive ichidan (stem 仕(つか)え (tsukae), past 仕(つか)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 this verb in English is marked by に (ni) in Japanese. Examples:
* 最(もっと)も高(たか)い目(もく)的(てき)に仕(つか)える
    motto mo takai mokuteki ni tsukaeru
    to be useful to the highest purpose → to serve the highest purpose
* この数(すう)年(ねん)間(かん)、父(ちち)母(はは)に仕(つか)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 ||||

#### Synonyms

* (serve, serve under): 奉(ほう)仕(し)する (hōshi suru); 奉(ぶ)仕(し)する (bushi suru)
* (enter public service): 仕(し)官(かん)する (shikan suru)

#### Derived terms

* 神(かみ)に仕(つか)える (kami ni tsukaeru) serve God
* 主(しゅ)人(じん)に仕(つか)える (shujin ni tsukaeru): serve a master, serve an employer faithfully
* 二(に)君(くん)に仕(つか)える (nikun ni tsukaeru): serve two masters
* すまじきものは宮(みや)仕(づか)え (sumajiki mono wa miyazukae): it is better to work for oneself than to work for someone else

#### Derived terms

* 仕(つか)え女(め) (tsukaeme): maidservant
* 仕(つか)え奉(まつ)る (tsukaematsuru): to serve; to build something as commanded
* 側(そば)仕(づか)え (sobazukae): personal attendant, valet, maid
* 宮(みや)仕(づか)え (miyazukae): service to the royal court; public service, company employment
* 兼(か)ね仕(つか)える (kanetsukaeru): to serve multiple masters or causes at the same time

#### Related terms

* 使(つか)える (tsukaeru): to be useful, to be capable of being used
* 支(つか)える (tsukaeru), 閊(つか)える (tsukaeru): to become clogged, blocked, stopped-up

### References

* 1 2 Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
* 1 2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN