助ける
Meaning in Englishhelp, save, rescue
Animated kanji stroke order
Related sentences
Related sentences
There are no published items in this section yet.
Word context
What it means
助ける (tasukeru) means to give assistance or to rescue someone or something from difficulty or danger; it describes an intentional action to remove a problem, threat, or burden by providing practical, physical, or emotional aid and normally takes a direct object.
Main meanings
- 1. To assist someone with tasks or chores (everyday, non-emergency help).
- 2. To rescue or save a person or thing from danger or harm (emergency or life-saving contexts).
- 3. To relieve or spare someone from a burden or trouble (reduce difficulty or expense).
- 4. To get someone out of a difficult situation figuratively (offer support, advice, or resources).
How to use it
Used widely in spoken and written Japanese when offering, requesting, or describing aid; common in emergencies, everyday assistance, and formal contexts via polite conjugation; typically used transitively with the person or thing helped as the object, can appear in requests, offers, commands, and compound nouns/verbs in both casual and polite registers.
Variants and close terms
- 手伝う (tetsudau) — to help/assist with a task (less rescue-focused, more task-oriented).
- 救う (sukuu) — to save/rescue (often used for life-saving or moral rescue).
- 助かる (tasukaru) — to be helped/be saved (intransitive outcome).
- 援助する (enjo suru) — to provide assistance/support (formal, often financial or institutional).
- 妨げる (samatageru) — to hinder/obstruct (antonym).
Composition
The word pairs the kanji 助 with okurigana ける; 助 conveys the meaning of help, aid, or rescue, and the following kana ける turns the stem into the transitive verb form pronounced tasukeru.
Word class
verb, transitive verb (他動詞, 一段動詞)