家族サービス

• 読み: かぞくサービス
• ローマ字: kazoku sābisu
• 漢字の分解: 家族 (family) + サービス (service, from English) → family service
• 発音: /ka.zo.ku.saː.bi.su/

意味

Family service — spending time with one's family on weekends or holidays, framed self-deprecatingly as a duty or obligation.

A uniquely Japanese expression that reveals attitudes about work-life balance. When a salaryman says he's doing 家族サービス, he frames time with his family as a 'service' — implying it is something he should do rather than something he wants to do. The term is often used with self-deprecating humour but has faced criticism for suggesting that family time is a chore. It reflects the workaholic culture where personal life takes a back seat to professional obligations.

例文

1. 週末は家族サービスでディズニー行ってくる。
2. 家族サービスって言い方、なんか義務感あるよね。
3. 仕事ばかりで家族サービスが全然できてない。

使い方ガイド

場面: workplace, family life, friends

トーン: self-deprecating, dutiful

正しい言い方

• 今日は家族サービスだから飲み会パス (I'm doing family service today so I'll pass on drinks)
• 久々に家族サービスしないとまずい (I'd better do some family service — it's been too long)

避ける言い方

• 妻の前で「家族サービス」と言うと「義務なの？」と怒られる (Saying 'family service' in front of your wife will get you an angry 'is it an obligation?')

よくある間違い

• Not realising the term is increasingly seen as problematic — younger generations question why family time should be framed as 'service'
• Using it without the self-deprecating tone — without humour, it sounds cold and dutiful

起源と歴史

Emerged from Japan's salaryman culture where long working hours left little time for family. The term frames family time as a 'service' provided by the working parent, reflecting the era when work was seen as the primary duty.

文化的背景

時代: Salaryman culture from the economic bubble era, now debated

世代: Primarily used by men 30s-50s

社会的背景: Working professionals

地域メモ: Used across all of Japan. Reflects the salaryman work culture and is increasingly debated in discussions about gender roles and work-life balance.