Japanese - Asking for Help

Lesson 10 of 168

A friendly street scene in Japan where a traveler politely asks for help on a smartphone. Japanese phrases about asking for help appear as speech bubbles.

Goal: Polite requests and emergency phrases

Free Japanese lessons with guided practice, audio, and speaking support.

Welcome — ready to practice helpful phrases you can use right away. In this short lesson you'll learn polite ways to ask for help with phones, people, and urgent situations. Have fun and try saying each line out loud.

Level A1: This lesson focuses on polite requests for help: asking someone to call a person or service, asking to use a phone, saying "What should I do?" (どうしたらいいですか？, Dō shitara ii desu ka?), and short emergency phrases like 緊急です。 (Kinkyū desu.). You'll listen, repeat, and practice quizzes and matching to feel ready in real situations. (CEFR-aligned)

After this lesson you'll be able to:

  • Understand and use polite requests to ask for help (call someone, come with me, look at something).
  • Ask permission to use a phone and say 緊急です。 (Kinkyū desu.) if it's urgent.
  • Practice short dialogues and speak each phrase aloud for real-world confidence.
  • Level A1: build basic survival phrases for asking for help.
A close-up of a traveler speaking with a shop worker, showing polite Japanese phrases for requesting help and phone use.

Ready? Let's go!

When you tap play on phrases, we track your progress through this lesson.

1. Reading + Listening Practice

Hear core phrases, repeat aloud.

___に電話してもらえますか？

___ ni denwa shite moraemasu ka?

Can you call ___?

Meaning: Can you call ___?

When to use: Put the person, place, or service before に to ask someone to phone or contact them for you, e.g., 友だちに電話してもらえますか？ or 119番に電話してもらえますか？

Tip: Don't forget に after the person or service; saying 友だち電話してもらえますか？ is incorrect.

119番に電話してもらえますか？

119-ban ni denwa shite moraemasu ka?

Can you call 119 (emergency) for me?
友だちに電話してもらえますか？

Tomodachi ni denwa shite moraemasu ka?

Can you call my friend?

電話を使ってもいいですか？

Denwa o tsukatte mo ii desu ka?

Can I use your phone?

Meaning: Can I use your phone?

When to use: Use this to politely ask to use someone else's phone. For mobile phones you can also say 携帯を使ってもいいですか？

Tip: Remember: 電話 can mean a landline or the phone service. If you mean a mobile, 携帯を使ってもいいですか？ is clearer.

すみません、電話を使ってもいいですか？

Sumimasen, denwa o tsukatte mo ii desu ka?

Excuse me, can I use your phone?
病院の受付で、電話を使ってもいいですか？

Byōin no uketsuke de, denwa o tsukatte mo ii desu ka?

At the hospital desk: May I use the phone?

どうしたらいいですか？

Dō shitara ii desu ka?

What should I do?

Meaning: What should I do?

When to use: Use this to ask for advice or instructions about the next action when you're unsure.

財布をなくしました。どうしたらいいですか？

Saifu o nakushimashita. Dō shitara ii desu ka?

I lost my wallet. What should I do?
ここで待ってもいいですか？何をしたらいいですか？

Koko de matte mo ii desu ka? Nani o shitara ii desu ka?

Can I wait here? What should I do?

緊急です

Kinkyū desu.

It's an emergency.

Meaning: It's an emergency.

When to use: Say this briefly to signal an urgent situation that needs immediate attention or help.

すみません、緊急です。助けてください。

Sumimasen, kinkyū desu. Tasukete kudasai.

Excuse me, it's an emergency. Please help.
店員に向かって、緊急です、と言いました。

Ten'in ni mukatte, kinkyū desu, to iimashita.

I said to the staff, 'It's an emergency.'

これを見てもらえますか？

Kore o mite moraemasu ka?

Can you look at this?

Meaning: Can you look at this?

When to use: Use when you want someone to inspect an item, a message, or a small problem (e.g., a map, a form, a cut).

この地図を見てもらえますか？

Kono chizu o mite moraemasu ka?

Can you look at this map?
腕を見てもらえますか？少し痛いです。

Ude o mite moraemasu ka? Sukoshi itai desu.

Can you look at my arm? It hurts a little.

一緒に来てもらえますか？

Issho ni kite moraemasu ka?

Can you come with me?

Meaning: Can you come with me?

When to use: Ask someone to accompany you when you need help getting somewhere or dealing with a situation.

病院まで一緒に来てもらえますか？

Byōin made issho ni kite moraemasu ka?

Can you come with me to the hospital?
警察署に一緒に来てもらえますか？

Keisatsusho ni issho ni kite moraemasu ka?

Can you come with me to the police station?

すみません、誰か呼んでもらえますか？

Sumimasen, dareka yonde moraemasu ka?

Can you get someone, please?

Meaning: Can you get someone, please?

When to use: Use this to ask the listener to find or call another person who can assist (a staff member, doctor, manager).

すみません、誰か呼んでもらえますか？英語を話せる方をお願いします。

Sumimasen, dareka yonde moraemasu ka? Eigo o hanaseru kata o onegaishimasu.

Excuse me, can you get someone? Please someone who speaks English.
ホテルのフロントで、すみません、誰か呼んでもらえますか？

Hoteru no furonto de, sumimasen, dareka yonde moraemasu ka?

At the hotel front desk: Excuse me, can you get someone?

2. Conversational Listening Practice

Hear phrases in a real mini-conversation.

At a small station: Anna needs help and asks staff for urgent assistance.

Anna and David in a small station: Anna gestures and says 緊急です。 and asks for a phone; the worker responds helpfully.

What does Anna ask for first?

Portrait of Anna in a Japanese lesson dialogue

Anna

すみません、緊急です。119番に電話してもらえますか？

Sumimasen, kinkyū desu. 119-ban ni denwa shite moraemasu ka?

Excuse me, it's an emergency. Can you call 119?

Portrait of David in a Japanese lesson dialogue

David

わかりました。電話を使ってもいいですか？

Wakarimashita. Denwa o tsukatte mo ii desu ka?

Understood. Can I use the phone?

Portrait of Anna in a Japanese lesson dialogue

Anna

いいえ、あなたが呼んでください。あと、これを見てもらえますか？

Īe, anata ga yonde kudasai. Ato, kore o mite moraemasu ka?

No, please call. Also, can you look at this?

Portrait of David in a Japanese lesson dialogue

David

はい。どうしたらいいですか？

Hai. Dō shitara ii desu ka?

Yes. What should I do?

Portrait of Anna in a Japanese lesson dialogue

Anna

一緒に来てもらえますか？助かります。

Issho ni kite moraemasu ka? Tasukarimasu.

Can you come with me? That would help.

Portrait of David in a Japanese lesson dialogue

David

すぐ誰かを呼びます。

Sugu dareka o yobimasu.

I will get someone right away.

3. Guided Practice

Quizzes and matching to lock in meaning.

Which Japanese sentence asks 'Can I use your phone?'

How do you say 'What should I do?' politely in Japanese?

You want staff to 'get someone' to help. Which sentence fits?

Which phrase would you say to signal urgency?

At the hospital: Excuse me, it's an emergency. I'm feeling unwell.

病院で：すみません、___。具合が悪いです。

I lost my wallet on the train: Excuse me, can you get someone? Please help.

電車で財布を落とした：すみません、___助けてください。

I got lost: Excuse me, can you look at this map?

道に迷った：すみません、___地図を見てもらえますか？

Match the core phrases

Match the extra phrases

4. Speaking Practice

Say phrases yourself (mic/recording).

Recording stays on your device only. Check speech uses your browser's speech tools when available.

Say this phrase out loud:

___に電話してもらえますか？

___ ni denwa shite moraemasu ka?

Can you call ___?

Say this phrase out loud:

電話を使ってもいいですか？

Denwa o tsukatte mo ii desu ka?

Can I use your phone?

Say this phrase out loud:

どうしたらいいですか？

Dō shitara ii desu ka?

What should I do?

Say this phrase out loud:

緊急です

Kinkyū desu.

It's an emergency.

Say this phrase out loud:

これを見てもらえますか？

Kore o mite moraemasu ka?

Can you look at this?

Say this phrase out loud:

一緒に来てもらえますか？

Issho ni kite moraemasu ka?

Can you come with me?

Say this phrase out loud:

すみません、誰か呼んでもらえますか？

Sumimasen, dareka yonde moraemasu ka?

Can you get someone, please?