～てくれる (te kureru) – When Someone Does Something for You in Japanese

Ever had a friend help you carry heavy groceries? Or maybe a coworker covered your shift when you were sick? In Japanese, when someone does something that benefits you, there's a special way to express that gratitude: ～てくれる.

This grammar point is all about recognizing kindness directed toward you. It's not just functional — it reflects the Japanese cultural value of acknowledging others' efforts and showing appreciation. Let's dive into how it works and why it matters!

What Does ～てくれる Mean?

～てくれる means "someone does something for me" or "someone does something for my benefit."

It combines:

The ～て form of a verb +
The verb くれる ("to give to me")

So literally, someone is "giving" you the act of doing something.

This grammar emphasizes:

The giver's kindness toward you
Your gratitude for their action
The direction of the benefit (toward you or your in-group)

Unlike ～てあげる (which focuses on you helping someone else), ～てくれる focuses on receiving help or kindness from someone else.

How to Use ～てくれる

The structure is straightforward:

Verb (て-form) + くれる

To make it polite, use くれます instead of くれる.

Here's how to form the て-form for different verb types:

Godan Verbs (う-verbs):

たすく (help) → たすけて → たすけてくれる
かう (buy) → かって → かってくれる
もつ (carry) → もって → もってくれる

Ichidan Verbs (る-verbs):

おしえる (teach) → おしえて → おしえてくれる
あける (open) → あけて → あけてくれる

Irregular Verbs:

する (do) → して → してくれる
くる (come) → きて → きてくれる

Example Sentences

🎒 友だちが荷物を持ってくれました。 My friend carried my luggage for me.

📚 先生が漢字を教えてくれました。 My teacher taught me kanji.

☔ 彼が傘をかしてくれた。 He lent me his umbrella.

🎂 母がケーキを作ってくれました。 My mom made me a cake.

💬 みんなが応援してくれて、うれしかった！ Everyone cheered me on, and I was so happy!

📱 LINE で連絡してくれて、ありがとう。 Thanks for contacting me on LINE.

Who's Giving and Who's Receiving?

This is important: ～てくれる only works when:

Someone else does the action
You (or someone in your in-group, like your family) receive the benefit

The focus is always on the receiver's perspective — that's you!

If you do something for someone else, use ～てあげる instead. If you want to emphasize that you received someone's help (with a more humble nuance), use ～てもらう.

Quick comparison:

～てあげる → I do something for someone
～てくれる → Someone does something for me
～てもらう → I receive help from someone (humble perspective)

The Gratitude Factor: Cultural Insight

In Japanese culture, acknowledging others' kindness is deeply important. Using ～てくれる isn't just grammar — it's a way of showing awareness and appreciation.

When someone helps you, saying ～てくれてありがとう (thanks for doing [this] for me) is incredibly common and natural. It shows you recognize their effort and that it mattered to you.

You'll hear this pattern everywhere:

待ってくれてありがとう。 → Thanks for waiting (for me).
来てくれてありがとう。 → Thanks for coming.
教えてくれてありがとう。 → Thanks for teaching me.

Culturally, Japanese people often emphasize the giver's action rather than their own benefit — it's a way of being humble and showing respect.

⚠️ One thing to watch out for: Don't use ～てくれる when talking to the person who did the favor in a very formal or superior-subordinate context. It can sound too casual or assuming. In those cases, use ～ていただく (the humble form of ～てもらう) instead.

Asking Someone to Do Something for You

You can also use ～てくれる to make requests:

～てくれる？ (casual) → Will you do [this] for me? ～てくれますか？ (polite) → Could you do [this] for me? ～てくれない？ (casual, softer) → Won't you do [this] for me?

Examples:

🚪 ドアを開けてくれる？ Can you open the door for me?

✉️ これを送ってくれますか？ Could you send this for me?

📖 この本をかしてくれない？ Won't you lend me this book?

This form is very common in everyday conversation — it's direct but friendly, and shows you're relying on the other person's kindness.

Try It Yourself!

How would you say these in Japanese using ～てくれる?

"My friend helped me with homework."

"My dad drove me to the station."

"Thanks for calling me."

✅ Answers:

友だちが宿題を手伝ってくれました。

父が駅まで送ってくれました。

電話してくれてありがとう。

Key Takeaways

～てくれる = "someone does something for me"
Use when you are the receiver of someone's kindness or action
Shows gratitude and acknowledges the other person's effort
Common in daily conversation, especially with ～てくれてありがとう
For requests, use ～てくれる？ or ～てくれますか？
Related grammar:
- ～てあげる → you do something for someone
- ～てもらう → you receive help from someone (humble)