What does 仕 mean in Japanese?
仕 means to serve or to do, and learners meet it first in 仕事 (shigoto), the everyday word for work or a job.
仕 is usually read シ (shi), as in 仕事 and 仕方 (shikata, way of doing). The kun’yomi つかえる (仕える) means to serve someone and is less common in daily conversation.
Reading
On’yomi: シ (shi), ジ (ji)
Kun’yomi: つか-える (tsuka-eru)
Basic Information
| Kanji | 仕 |
|---|---|
| Meaning | serve, do |
| Stroke Count | 5 |
| JLPT Level | N4 |
How to Understand This Kanji
仕 carries the idea of doing something for someone or carrying out a task. 仕事 is the neutral everyday word for work, 仕方 is the way something is done, and 仕方がない is a fixed phrase meaning it cannot be helped. The verb 仕える (to serve a master or employer) sounds formal or old-fashioned.
Common Words
- 仕事（しごと / shigoto） — work, job
- 仕方（しかた / shikata） — way of doing, method
- 仕える（つかえる / tsukaeru） — to serve
- 仕組み（しくみ / shikumi） — structure, mechanism
- 仕上げる（しあげる / shiageru） — to finish, to complete
- 仕送り（しおくり / shiokuri） — allowance sent from home
Example Sentences
-
父は銀行で仕事をしています。
ちちはぎんこうでしごとをしています。 / Chichi wa ginkou de shigoto o shite imasu.
My father works at a bank.
-
雨なので、仕方がありません。
あめなので、しかたがありません。 / Ame na node, shikata ga arimasen.
It is raining, so it cannot be helped.
-
宿題を夕方までに仕上げました。
しゅくだいをゆうがたまでにしあげました。 / Shukudai o yuugata made ni shiagemashita.
I finished my homework by the evening.
When Learners Usually See This Kanji
Learn 仕事 and 仕方がない first; both are high-frequency vocabulary at this level. 仕 has the person radical 亻 on the left, like 使 (use) and 作 (make), and 仕 and 使 share the reading シ, so check the right-hand part carefully. In 給仕 (kyuuji, waiting on tables) the reading becomes ジ.
Summary
仕 means to serve or to do and is essential for 仕事 (work) and the phrase 仕方がない (it cannot be helped).
Want to study more JLPT N4 kanji by theme? See our JLPT N4 Kanji Study List.