雇う・傭う|やとうyatou[2]nakadaka (mid-high)
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Which spelling to use
雇う雇う（やとう） is the more common kanji-and-kana spelling, used for the senses “to employ,” “to hire,” “to take on,” and “to charter.”
傭う傭う（やとう） is a rarely used kanji-and-kana variant of 雇う（やとう）. You may encounter it, but it is not the usual form to write.
Definitions
- godan verb, transitive verbto employ; to hire; to take on
- godan verb, transitive verbto charter (a car, boat, etc.); to hire
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 雇う（やとう） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 雇います（やといます） |
| Negative (nai) | 雇わない（やとわない） |
| polite (masen) | 雇いません（やといません） |
| classical zu / nu | 雇わず・雇わぬ（やとわず・やとわぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 雇った（やとった） |
| polite (mashita) | 雇いました（やといました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 雇わなかった（やとわなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 雇いませんでした（やといませんでした） |
| Te form | 雇って（やとって） |
| Potential | 雇える（やとえる） |
| Passive | 雇われる（やとわれる） |
| Causative | 雇わせる（やとわせる） |
| Causative passive | 雇わせられる・雇わされる（やとわせられる・やとわされる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 雇えば（やとえば） |
| tara | 雇ったら（やとったら） |
| Volitional | 雇おう（やとおう） |
| polite (mashou) | 雇いましょう（やといましょう） |
| Imperative | 雇え（やとえ） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym雇用こようWrittenA noun (also a verbal noun) for employment, as in 「雇用契約」 and 「雇用を守る」; it leans toward written prose and economic or labor-market contexts.
- Synonym雇い入れるやといいれるNeutralUnlike the broader 「雇う」, this is for hiring someone new and bringing them in; it stresses fresh recruitment. Neutral in register.
- Synonym召し抱えるめしかかえるWrittenEmploying someone as a retainer or subordinate; common in the samurai era, today also for taking someone under one's command. Archaic, written/formal flavor.
- Related借り上げるかりあげるNeutralGovernments or companies leasing private housing or vehicles, as in 「借り上げ社宅」; unlike 「雇う」, it is never used for hiring people.
- Related採用さいようNeutralRecruitment and hiring by selection, as in 「新卒を採用する」; stresses selecting and accepting a candidate rather than the act of employing.
- AntonymくびにするCasualColloquial opposite of 「雇う」: to sack someone or let them go.
- Antonym解雇するWrittenThe formal, written opposite of 「雇う」: dismissing an employee.
Use 「雇う」 for paying someone to work or for chartering a car or boat. For a company's formal recruitment use 「採用」; 「雇用」 is the written, economics term. The opposite of hiring is 「解雇する」 in formal prose, 「首にする」 in speech.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
See also
