御用(ごよう)

ごよう
noun
official business; arrest
formal
1. official business, errand, order
Business or errands, especially those conducted on behalf of the government, the imperial household, or a person of high status. The 御(ご) prefix adds formality and respect.
なにか御用(ごよう)ですか。
Is there something I can help you with?
この店(みせ)は宮内庁(くないちょう)御用達(ごようたし)だ。
This shop holds a warrant from the Imperial Household Agency.
御用(ごよう)聞(き)きが注文(ちゅうもん)を取(と)りに来(き)た。
The delivery person came to take orders.
2. arrest, capture
The apprehension of a criminal. Historically, the cry 「御用(ごよう)だ！」 was used by Edo-period constables when making an arrest, and it remains well known from period dramas.
御用(ごよう)だ！神妙(しんみょう)にしろ！
You're under arrest! Don't resist!
Classic line from period dramas.
泥棒(どろぼう)が御用(ごよう)になった。
The thief was arrested.
逃(に)げ回(まわ)っていた犯人(はんにん)が、ついに御用(ごよう)となった。
The criminal who had been on the run was finally arrested.

Usage

Sense 1 uses 御用(ごよう) as a polite term for business or errands. The compound 御用達(ごようたし) means "purveyor to" (historically to the imperial household, now used more broadly for high-status endorsement). 御用(ごよう)聞(き)き originally meant a servant who takes orders, but now can refer to a delivery person from a local shop.

Sense 2, 御用(ごよう)になる or 御用(ごよう)だ, is a classic expression meaning "to be arrested." Iconic from 時代劇(じだいげき) (period dramas).

Common collocations

  • 御用達(ごようたし): purveyor, patronized by
  • 御用(ごよう)聞(き)き: order-taker, delivery person
  • 御用(ごよう)学者(がくしゃ): government-aligned scholar (often pejorative)
  • 御用(ごよう)になる: to be arrested
general
Added 2026.2.22 20:57 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
12500/12848_goyou