Which one should you use?
There is a distinction between asking for rescue and asking for assistance with a task. Use 助けてください for life-threatening or serious situations, whereas 手伝ってください is used for requesting assistance with a chore or a specific task.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
助けてください is the polite form and is suitable when speaking to someone older or in a formal environment. By dropping kudasai to say 助けて, the request becomes informal. This shorter version is often used in high-stress, life-threatening emergencies where there is no time for politeness.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb 助けて comes from the transitive verb tasukeru, which means it requires an object (the person being helped). In Japanese, this object is often omitted if the context is clear.
How do you pronounce it?
tasukete kudasai
Did you know?
- The kanji for 'help' in 助けて contains the radical for 'power' or 'strength' (力), visually suggesting the physical force needed to rescue someone.
- The phrase 助けて can be used sarcastically between close friends when one person is being overly dramatic about a small inconvenience.
- In historical Japanese dramas, you may hear 助けてくれ, a more masculine and assertive version of the request that sounds more like a demand than a plea.
Examples in context
- 助けてください。Please help me.Tatoeba #1039551 by bunbuku, translation #262424 by CK
- どうか助けてください。Help me, please.Tatoeba #2107390 by bunbuku, translation #267179 by CK
- 誰か、私を助けてください。Someone, please help me.Tatoeba #1627245 by mookeee, translation #1627241 by Spamster
- たすけて！Help me!
- 助けてくれ！Please help me!
- 助けていただけませんか？Would you kindly help me?
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki is stuck in a crowded place and cannot move.
- 美咲 Misakiすみません、助けてください！Sumimasen, tasukete kudasai!Excuse me, please help me!
- 健太 Kentaどうしましたか？Dō shimashita ka?What happened?
- 美咲 Misaki人混みで動けません。Hitogomi de ugokemasen.I can't move because of the crowd.
- 健太 Kenta大丈夫ですよ。こちらへどうぞ。Daijōbu desu yo. Kochira e dōzo.It's okay. This way, please.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
