助けてください
tasukete kudasai
In Japanese, 'help, please!' is expressed as 助けてください (tasukete kudasai).
助けてください is used when you are in a situation requiring immediate rescue or intervention, such as being attacked or drowning.
Which one should you use?
In a life-threatening emergency where every second counts, people often drop the polite ください (kudasai) and simply shout 助けて！
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
助けてください is a formal way to say 'help, please!', while 助けて！ is an informal way to say it.
How do you pronounce it?
tasukete kudasai
Did you know?
- While 助けて is for emergencies, the word 手伝って is used for requests for assistance with a task, like carrying a heavy box.
- If you are in a non-life-threatening but confusing situation, like being lost, using 助けてください can sound overly dramatic and alarm people unnecessarily.
- In Japanese pop culture and anime, characters often shout 助けて！ to create dramatic tension, but in real life, Japanese culture emphasizes not causing a public disturbance.
Examples in context
- 助けてください！tasukete kudasai!Help, please!
- 泥棒です！助けてください！dorobou desu! tasukete kudasai!It's a thief! Help, please!
Example conversation
Yui is trapped in a lift and calls out for help.
- 結衣 Yui誰か、助けてください！Dareka, tasukete kudasai!Someone, please help me!
- 大翔 Hiroto結衣さん？大丈夫ですか？Yui-san? Daijōbu desu ka?Yui? Are you okay?
- 結衣 Yuiエレベーターが止まりました！Erebētā ga tomarimashita!The elevator has stopped!
- 大翔 Hiroto今すぐ管理人に連絡しますね。Ima sugu kanrinin ni renraku shimasu ne.I'll contact the manager right away.
