世話

Believed to derive from 忙しい (sewashii, “busy”). The kanji are ateji (当(あ)て字(じ)).

• (Tokyo) せわ [sèwáꜜ] (Odaka – [2])^[1][2]
• IPA^(key): [se̞β̞a̠]

世(せ)話(わ) • (sewa) 

1. care, looking after, help, favor

   お世話(せわ)になりました。

   O-sewa ni narimashita.

   Thank you very much for everything.

   (literally, “I have been taken care of.”)

   困(こま)った時(とき)には隣人(りんじん)のおばさんにお世話(せわ)になっておりました。

   Komatta toki ni wa rinjin no oba-san ni o-sewa ni natte orimashita.

   The lady next door helped me a lot when I was in trouble.

   コンサート案件(あんけん)でお世話(せわ)になった田中様(たなかさま)だったのですね。

   Konsāto anken de o-sewa ni natta Tanaka-sama datta no desu ne.

   So you are that Mr. Tanaka who was a great help during the concert project.

• Commonly takes the honorific prefix 御(お) (o-).

• お世話(せわ) (o-sewa)
• 世話(せわ)をする (sewa o suru): to take care of, to do a favor
• 世話(せわ)を焼(や)く (sewa o yaku)
• 世話(せわ)が焼(や)ける (sewa ga yakeru)
• 世話(せわ)になる (sewa ni naru): to receive a favor, to be obliged or indebted to someone (for taking care of something)
• お世話(せわ)になる (o-sewa ni naru)
• お世話(せわ)になっております (o-sewa ni natte orimasu): greeting between established business partners
• 大(おお)きなお世話(せわ) (ōkina o-sewa) / 余計(よけい)なお世話(せわ) (yokei na o-sewa): none of your business

• “世話”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[1] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2026

世話(しわ) (shiwa) 

1. worry