1.
help
help; assistance (polite)
お手伝いしましょうか。
Shall I help you?
子どもにお手伝いをさせる。
To have the children help out.
何かお手伝いできることがあればお申し付けください。
Please let me know if there's anything I can help with.
2.
housemaid
housemaid; domestic helper (dated)
うちにはお手伝いさんがいます。
We have a housemaid at our home.
お手伝いさんに掃除を頼む。
To ask the housemaid to clean.
昔は裕福な家庭にはお手伝いさんがいた。
In the past, wealthy households had domestic helpers.
お手伝い is the polite form of 手伝い, with the honorific prefix お.
Sense 1 (help/assistance):
- お手伝いする (to help - polite)
- お手伝いをする (same meaning)
Sense 2 (housemaid):
- Usually referred to as お手伝いさん with the respectful suffix さん
- This usage is somewhat dated; modern terms include 家政婦 or ハウスキーパー
For children, helping with household chores is called お手伝い, an important concept in Japanese family education.