Japanese Lesson 02 – Asking for Help · N5

📋 Expression Reference

Every key phrase for asking and receiving help, from formal to slang. Press ▶ to hear any expression.

FORMAL — 丁寧語 (teineigo)

Expression	Romaji	Typical Response	Context / Situation
すみません	Sumimasen	はい、どうぞ。Hai, douzo.	Excuse me — universal polite attention-getter; also serves as a light apology
～ていただけますか？	~te itadakemasu ka?	もちろんです。Mochiron desu.	Could you please ~? — most formal request; lit. "Could I receive the favour of you doing ~?"
～てください	~te kudasai	はい、わかりました。Hai, wakarimashita.	Please do ~ — polite imperative; attaches to the て-form of a verb
おねがいします	Onegaishimasu	はい、もちろん。Hai, mochiron.	Please / I'm asking — versatile closer; use alone or after a request to soften it
たすけていただけますか？	Tasukete itadakemasu ka?	どうしましたか？Dou shimashita ka?	Could you help me? — formal request for assistance when you need real help

CASUAL — ため口 (tameguchi)

Expression	Romaji	Typical Response	Context / Situation
ちょっといいですか？	Chotto ii desu ka?	うん、どうぞ。Un, douzo.	Have you got a moment? — soft, non-intrusive opener with friends or colleagues
～てもらえますか？	~te moraemasuka?	いいよ。Ii yo.	Could you ~? — semi-polite request; softer than ～てください; common between classmates
おねがい	Onegai	いいよ！Ii yo!	Please (casual) — shortened form of おねがいします; only with close friends
たすけて！	Tasukete!	どうしたの？Doushita no?	Help me! — casual urgent cry; て-form of たすける used as a direct request

SLANG — くだけた言い方

Expression	Romaji	Typical Response	Context / Situation
ねえ、ちょっと！	Nee, chotto!	なに？Nani?	Hey! — casual grab for attention; tone determines whether friendly or urgent
たすけて！マジで！	Tasukete! Maji de!	え、どうしたの？！E, doushita no?!	Help! Seriously! — マジで intensifies urgency; used between close friends in a panic
ちょっとまって！	Chotto matte!	うん、どうぞ。Un, douzo.	Wait a sec! — pause before a request; same phrase also used to buy thinking time

🗣 Mini Dialogues

Three short scenes showing the same situation at different formality levels. Press ▶ to hear each line.

A — FORMAL · Asking a Stranger for Help

みどり

すみません、すこしおてつだいいただけますか？

Sumimasen, sukoshi otetsudai itadakemasu ka?

Excuse me, could I trouble you for a moment?

すみません、 [VERB-て] いただけますか？

Sumimasen, [verb-て form] itadakemasu ka?

Excuse me, [doing ~] could I receive (your favour)?

→ The most polite way to ask a stranger for help. Swap [VERB-て] with any て-form verb.

けいびいん

はい、どうぞ。なにかおこまりですか？

Hai, douzo. Nanika okomari desu ka?

Of course. Is there something troubling you?

みどり

このきかいのつかいかたをおしえていただけますか？

Kono kikai no tsukaikata wo oshiete itadakemasu ka?

Could you show me how to use this machine?

[THING] のつかいかたをおしえていただけますか？

[thing] no tsukaikata wo oshiete itadakemasu ka?

→ "Could you show me how to use [this machine / the app / your phone]?" — swap [THING] freely.

けいびいん

もちろんです。こちらのボタンをおしてください。

Mochiron desu. Kochira no botan wo oshite kudasai.

Of course. Please press this button here.

B — CASUAL · Asking a Classmate

りく

さらちゃん、ちょっといいですか？

Sara-chan, chotto ii desu ka?

Sara, have you got a sec?

さら

うん、どうしたの？

Un, doushita no?

Yeah, what's up?

りく

このもんだい、おしえてもらえますか？

Kono mondai, oshiete moraemasuka?

Could you help me with this problem?

[THING] 、おしえてもらえますか？

[this problem / maths / kanji], oshiete moraemasuka?

→ "Could you help me with [this]?" — direct and casual; great for asking a friend to explain something.

さら

いいよ！　みせて。

Ii yo! Misete.

Sure! Show me.

りく

ありがとう！　たすかります！

Arigatou! Tasukarimasu!

Thanks! That's a real help!

C — SLANG · Urgent Help

はると

ねえ！　たすけて！　マジで！

Nee! Tasukete! Maji de!

Hey! Help! Seriously!

なな

え、どうしたの？！

E, doushita no?!

Huh?! What's wrong?!

はると

ケータイをおとしちゃって。みつからない！

Keetai wo otoshichatte. Mitsukaranai!

I dropped my phone. I can't find it!

📋 Key Patterns & Cheatsheet ▼

1 · Getting someone's attention

FORMAL

すみません。

Sumimasen.

→ "Excuse me." — universally safe; use with strangers, staff, officials.

STANDARD

すみません、ちょっとよろしいですか？

Sumimasen, chotto yoroshii desu ka?

→ "Excuse me, do you have a moment?" — gives the other person a chance to say no gracefully.

CASUAL

ちょっといいですか？

Chotto ii desu ka?

→ "Got a sec?" — friendly; drop すみません when you already know the person.

SLANG

ねえ！

Nee!

→ "Hey!" — tone of voice is everything; rising = friendly, flat/urgent = serious.

2 · Making a polite request

FORMAL

[VERB-て] いただけますか？

[verb-て] itadakemasu ka?

→ "Could you please [do]?" — most deferential; use with superiors or strangers.

STANDARD

[VERB-て] ください。

[verb-て] kudasai.

→ "Please [do]." — the standard polite request. Attach て-form of any verb.

CASUAL

[VERB-て] もらえますか？

[verb-て] moraemasuka?

→ "Could you [do] for me?" — softer and more indirect; common between peers.

3 · Asking for help directly

FORMAL

たすけていただけますか？

Tasukete itadakemasu ka?

→ "Could you help me, please?" — composed and polite even under pressure.

STANDARD

たすけてください。

Tasukete kudasai.

→ "Please help me." — clear and polite; use with anyone you don't know well.

CASUAL

たすけて！

Tasukete!

→ "Help!" — て-form alone becomes an urgent casual request; no subject needed.

4 · Thanking someone for their help

FORMAL

ありがとうございます。たすかりました。

Arigatou gozaimasu. Tasukarimashita.

→ "Thank you very much. You saved me." — たすかりました (past) = "I was saved / you were a lifesaver".

CASUAL

ありがとう！　たすかった！

Arigatou! Tasukatta!

→ "Thanks! That saved me!" — warm, genuine; more personal than a plain ありがとう.

A — Flashcards

Click the card to flip it and reveal the romaji and meaning. Press ▶ on the front to hear the phrase.

tap to flip

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B — Listen & Choose the Meaning

Press ▶ to hear each phrase, then pick the correct English meaning from the four options.

C — Choose the Right Response

Press ▶ to hear the prompt (Japanese + romaji shown), then choose the best response. Romaji is shown on all options.

D — Listen & Write in Romaji

Press ▶ to hear each phrase, then type what you heard in romaji. Japanese letters are not needed — just roman letters.

💡 Tip: Long vowels → double the vowel (おう = ou, おお = oo). Double consonants → write them twice (きって = kitte).

E — Shadowing Practice

Listen to each line, say it out loud, then tick Practised ✓. Try to match the rhythm and intonation — not just the sounds.

🎙 Tip: Speak with the audio at the same time, not after it. Reduce the rate in your device's accessibility settings if it's too fast.

0 of 9 lines practised

📖 Grammar Notes ▼

すみません — The universal attention-getter

すみません (sumimasen) does two jobs: (1) it gets someone's attention — "Excuse me" — and (2) it apologises for the minor inconvenience of asking. It literally means "I cannot finish apologising." When approaching any stranger, always lead with すみません. It signals politeness and that a request is coming.

すみません、 [REQUEST]

Sumimasen, [your request]

→ "Excuse me, [could you help / where is the station / etc.]"

すみません、えきはどこですか？

Sumimasen, eki wa doko desu ka?

Excuse me, where is the station?

～てください — The standard polite request

Attach ください (kudasai) to the て-form of any verb to make a polite request. て-form of Group 1 verbs (u-verbs): replace the final う-sound with って/んで/いて etc. Group 2 verbs (ru-verbs): replace る with て. This pattern is your N5 workhorse for polite requests.

[VERB-て] ください。

[verb-て form] kudasai.

→ みせてください = Please show me. | おしえてください = Please teach / tell me. | まってください = Please wait.

もういちどおしえてください。

Mou ichido oshiete kudasai.

Please tell me one more time.

～ていただけますか？ — Upgrading to formal

いただけますか？ is the humble/formal upgrade of ～てください. The verb いただく (itadaku) is the humble form of もらう (to receive). Using it says "Could I receive the favour of you doing ~?" — explicitly acknowledging the other person's effort. Use this with strangers, officials, and in business contexts.

もうすこしゆっくりはなしていただけますか？

Mou sukoshi yukkuri hanashite itadakemasu ka?

Could you speak a little more slowly, please?

～てもらえますか？ — The peer-level request

もらえますか？ uses the potential form of もらう (to receive). It is less formal than いただけますか but softer than ～てください. Use it with classmates, colleagues of the same rank, and friends you aren't super close to. It implies "could you do me the favour of ~?" without sounding demanding.

これ、もってもらえますか？

Kore, motte moraemasuka?

Could you hold this for me?

ちょっと — The softener

ちょっと (chotto) literally means "a little" but acts as a conversational softener. Before a request it reduces the imposition — like saying "could you just…" in English. On its own with a pause, ちょっと… is also a polite way to decline something, implying "that's a little difficult for me." Tone and context decide the meaning.

ちょっとまっていてもらえますか？

Chotto matte ite moraemasuka?

Could you wait just a moment for me?

たすかります / たすかりました — "You saved me"

たすかります (tasukarimasu) comes from たすかる — "to be saved / helped." When someone does something useful for you, this expresses genuine relief beyond a plain ありがとう. The past tense たすかりました (tasukarimashita) means "You saved me" — said after help is given. It is warmer and more personal than ありがとうございます alone.

A: はい、どうぞ。　B: ありがとうございます！　たすかりました！

A: Hai, douzo. B: Arigatou gozaimasu! Tasukarimashita!

A: Here you go. B: Thank you so much! You're a lifesaver!

📚 Key Vocabulary ▼

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning
すみません	sumimasen	Excuse me / I'm sorry
おねがいします	onegaishimasu	Please (request) / I'm counting on you
おねがい	onegai	Please (casual shortening)
たすけて	tasukete	Help (me)! — て-form of たすける
たすかります	tasukarimasu	That's a great help / You're saving me
たすかりました	tasukarimashita	You saved me (past — said after help received)
わかりました	wakarimashita	I understand / Got it
もちろんです	mochiron desu	Of course
どうしましたか？	dou shimashita ka?	What happened? / What's the matter?
どうしたの？	doushita no?	What's up? / What happened? (casual)
ちょっと	chotto	A little / Just (softener) / A moment
おてつだい	otetsudai	Help / Assistance (polite noun)
もんだい	mondai	Problem / Question
きかい	kikai	Machine
マジで	maji de	Seriously / For real (slang intensifier)