お使(つか)い

おつかい
noun
errand; shopping trip
polite
1. errand; shopping trip (on someone's behalf)
Going out to buy something or deliver something on behalf of someone else. Commonly used when a parent sends a child to the store, or when someone runs errands for the household.
お使(つか)いに行(い)ってきて。
Go run an errand for me.
子供(こども)が初(はじ)めてのお使(つか)いに出(で)かけた。
The child went out on their first errand.
母(はは)に頼(たの)まれて、スーパーにお使(つか)いに行(い)った。
My mother asked me to go on an errand to the supermarket.

The お prefix is standard and nearly always used; the bare form 使(つか)い sounds blunt and is rarely heard.

Common patterns

Cultural note

'初(はじ)めてのお使(つか)い' (My First Errand) is a popular Japanese TV show where small children are sent on errands alone for the first time, watched by hidden cameras. The concept reflects the cultural practice of gradually giving children independence through errands.

Usage

Most commonly associated with children being sent to buy something at a nearby store. For adult errands in a business context, 用事(ようじ) (business, things to do) is more natural.

general
Added 2026.3.23 10:59 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
18500/18737_otsukai