1.
manpower; workers; labor force
The number of workers or amount of labor available for a task or organization.
人手が足りない。
We don't have enough workers.
繁忙期は人手が必要だ。
We need more manpower during the busy season.
地方では人手不足が深刻な問題になっている。
In rural areas, the labor shortage has become a serious problem.
2.
another person's hands; someone else's possession
Hands belonging to someone else, or the state of something passing into another person's possession.
人手に渡る。
To pass into someone else's hands.
この土地は人手に渡った。
This land passed into someone else's possession.
先祖から受け継いだ家を人手に渡すわけにはいかない。
I can't let the house I inherited from my ancestors pass into someone else's hands.
Refers to available labor power or the hands of others. In modern Japanese, sense 1 (manpower/labor) is far more common, especially in news and business contexts discussing labor shortages (人手不足).
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 人手不足: labor shortage
- 人手が足りない: not enough workers
- 人手を借りる: to borrow someone's help
- 人手に渡る: to pass into another's possession
- 人手を集める: to gather workers
USAGE:
The compound 人手不足 is extremely common in contemporary Japan, appearing frequently in discussions about the aging population, declining birthrate, and their effects on the workforce.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 労働力: labor force — more formal, emphasizes economic capacity
- 人員: personnel — focuses on headcount in an organization
- 働き手: worker — refers to an individual worker rather than collective manpower