助けてください
tasukete kudasai
To say help me please in Japanese, say 助けてください (tasukete kudasai).
助けてください asks for help in a difficult situation, such as being lost or needing a hand with something, rather than for a casual favor.
What does it mean word for word?
助けて is the te form of 助ける (tasukeru), to save or to help and ください makes it a polite request.
Which one should you use?
In an immediate emergency, people simply shout 助けて！ (Tasukete!). Tasukete yo! adds urgency and is used with people you know well. To stress the request, you can say Onegai shimasu. Tasukete kudasai, please, I request your help.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Dropping ください makes the phrase informal, and 助けて on its own is the standard way to shout for help in a crisis.
How do you pronounce it?
It is romanized tasukete kudasai.
Did you know?
- If you are in a situation involving a crime or a person attacking you, you might shout Tasukete! but many people also yell Abunai! which means 'dangerous' to alert bystanders to a threat.
- The verb 助ける (tasukeru) shares a root with the word for 'salvation' in a religious context, making the phrase feel more like 'save me' than 'help me'.
- In Japanese pop culture, especially anime, the phrase 助けて (tasukete) is often shouted in a high-pitched, elongated way to signal a comedic overreaction rather than a real emergency.
Examples in context
- 助けてください。Help me, please.This is the polite request on its own, ending with a full stop.Tatoeba #1039551 by bunbuku, translation #267179 by CK
- 助けてください！tasukete kudasai!Help me, please!
- 誰か、助けてください！dareka, tasukete kudasai!Someone, please help me!
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki is trapped in a lift and calls Kenta.
- 美咲 Misaki健太さん、助けてください！Kenta-san, tasukete kudasai!Kenta, please help me!
- 健太 Kenta美咲さん、今すぐ行きます！Misaki-san, ima sugu ikimasu!Misaki, I'm coming right now!
- 美咲 Misaki怖いです、助けてください。kowai desu, tasukete kudasai.I'm scared, please help me.
- 健太 Kenta大丈夫ですよ、すぐ助けます。daijoubu desu yo, sugu tasukemasu.It's okay, I will help you soon.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
