How do you say "Can you help me?" in Japanese?

"Can you help me?" in Japanese is "手伝ってもらえますか。". This phrase is commonly used in Japan.

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How to Say ‘Can you help me?’ in Japanese

Q: What does "手伝ってもらえますか。" mean in English?

"手伝ってもらえますか。" means "Can you help me?" in English. Usage tip: [もらえますか] is a softer way to ask "could I receive...?" so [手伝ってもらえますか] is literally "could I receive your helping me?" You'll hear the same pattern in [見せてもらえますか] for "could you let me see?"

手伝ってもらえますか。

tetsudatsu te morae masu ka

[teh-tsoo-daht teh moh-rah-eh mahss kah]

💬 Usage Tip: [もらえますか] is a softer way to ask "could I receive...?" so [手伝ってもらえますか] is literally "could I receive your helping me?" You'll hear the same pattern in [見せてもらえますか] for "could you let me see?"

Phrase Breakdown

手伝っ

tetsudatsu

[teh-tsoo-daht]

help

From 手伝う, to help. The small っ shows the verb is in a connected form.

Example

手伝ってもらえますか、荷物が重いです。

Could you help me? My luggage is heavy.

て

[teh]

te-form ending

Connects 手伝う to the following helper expression もらえる.

Example

手伝ってもらえますか、少しだけでいいです。

Could you help me? Just a little is fine.

もらえ

morae

[moh-rah-eh]

can receive

From もらえる, meaning to be able to receive a favor. Together it means “could you help me?”

Example

手伝ってもらえますか、すみません。

Could you help me? Excuse me.

ます

masu

[mahss]

polite ending

Adds politeness to the request.

Example

手伝ってもらえますか、急いでいます。

Could you help me? I’m in a hurry.

か

[kah]

question marker

Turns the sentence into a polite question.

Example

手伝ってもらえますか、ここがわかりません。

Could you help me? I don’t understand this part.

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