召使い

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 召使い is read as めしつかい and is a noun for a servant or attendant who personally serves a household or a person of high status.
• Basic usage: Service to a master appears in 主人に朝食を運ぶ召使い, while the role appears in 王族に仕える召使い.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Historical and hierarchical tone
  • Rather than an ordinary modern employee, it suggests a hierarchical relationship of personal service and often appears in stories or historical settings.
• Difference from 使用人
  • 使用人 is a relatively matter-of-fact term for an employee or domestic worker, while 召使い has a more traditional sense of a servant attending a master.