Learn five phrases: Help, Call an ambulance, Call the police, I need a doctor, and I am lost. Say them slowly, in the local script if you can show it. In Japanese, Help is Tasukete kudasai, shown as 助けてください. Here & Home keeps twenty emergency phrases for each country on your phone, in the local script with a sounds-like line, and your phone can say them aloud.
The five phrases that matter
- Help. To get attention fast.
- Call an ambulance.
- Call the police.
- I need a doctor.
- I am lost.
You will not be fluent, and you do not need to be. You need to be understood for ten seconds.
In five languages
The sounds-like guide is approximate. Say each word slowly, with the stress where it is capitalised.
| English | Japanese | Spanish | French | German | Italian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Help | Tasukete kudasai (助けてください) | Ayuda (ah-YOO-dah) | Au secours (oh suh-KOOR) | Hilfe (HIL-feh) | Aiuto (eye-YOO-toh) |
| Call an ambulance | Kyukyusha o yonde kudasai (救急車を呼んでください) | Llame a una ambulancia | Appelez une ambulance | Rufen Sie einen Krankenwagen | Chiami un'ambulanza |
| Call the police | Keisatsu o yonde kudasai (警察を呼んでください) | Llame a la policía | Appelez la police | Rufen Sie die Polizei | Chiami la polizia |
| I need a doctor | Isha ga hitsuyo desu (医者が必要です) | Necesito un médico | J'ai besoin d'un médecin | Ich brauche einen Arzt | Ho bisogno di un medico |
For "I am lost" use a map: point at your location and the place you want, and add the word for lost if you know it. Japanese: Michi ni mayoimashita. Spanish: Estoy perdido (or perdida). French: Je suis perdu (or perdue). German: Ich habe mich verlaufen. Italian: Mi sono perso (or persa).
How to say them
- Speak slowly and clearly. Speed makes it harder to understand.
- Show it. Hold your phone with the phrase in the local script so the other person can read it.
- Use short words. One idea at a time.
- Add gestures. Point to the injury or the place. A card with your name, blood group and allergies helps medical staff.
- Learn the numbers. Know how to say your location and the local emergency number. See emergency numbers by country.
More than words
- Keep your hotel address written in the local language, so a taxi driver or passer-by can take you back.
- Save your insurance details and your embassy's number.
- Carry a short medical note with allergies and medicines, translated if possible.
- Use a translation app while you have signal, and the offline phrases when you do not.
Twenty phrases saved offline
Here & Home keeps twenty emergency phrases for each country on the phone, written in the local script with a sounds-like line in plain letters. Tap one and your phone's text to speech says it aloud for you, so you can hold the phone up to someone. The FYI section adds twenty everyday words. None of it needs a signal.
Phrases are given on a best-effort basis. Check critical ones with a local source where you can, and see the offline survival kit for the rest of Help.
Questions people ask
How do I ask for help in Japanese?
Say Tasukete kudasai, written 助けてください, which means please help me.
How do I call an ambulance in another language?
Show or say the local phrase, such as Kyukyusha o yonde kudasai in Japanese or Llame a una ambulancia in Spanish, and give your location.
Can my phone say the phrase for me?
Yes. In Here & Home you tap a phrase and the phone says it aloud using text to speech.
How many phrases does the app have offline?
Twenty emergency phrases per country in the local script with a sounds-like line, plus twenty everyday words in FYI.
Do I need to learn the local script?
No. Show the phrase on your screen so the other person can read it.
Can I rely on the app in an emergency?
Use it as help, not as the only plan. Check official sources, and do not rely on any app alone in a life-threatening emergency.
Keep reading
Say it, even without the language
Here & Home is free on Google Play. Emergency phrases saved offline.
For reference. Steps and screens described here are as they appear in Here & Home, and menu names can differ between versions of Android and the app. Exchange rates and prices in examples are illustrative, and rates in Here & Home are indicative, updated periodically and not financial quotes. Emergency numbers, phrases, country facts and survival tips are general information given on a best-effort basis: check them before you travel, and do not rely on any app alone in a life-threatening emergency. Here & Home is a field companion, not a financial or emergency service. Trademarks are those of their owners and are used only to describe what the app works with.