Translation guide
Expresses being rescued, preserved, or spared from harm, loss, or effort. Covers physical rescue, spiritual salvation, data preservation, and relief from trouble.
見知らぬ人に助けられた。
I was saved by a stranger.
助けられる is the passive of 助ける (to save), emphasizing the rescuer.
書類が保存された。
The document was saved.
To be rescued from a dangerous or life-threatening situation.
Intransitive verb meaning 'to be saved' or 'to be rescued'. Focuses on the person being saved, not the rescuer.
事故で多くの人が助かった。
Many people were saved in the accident.
彼は奇跡的に助かった。
He was miraculously saved.
Passive form of 救う (to save). Emphasizes being saved by someone or something. Often used in spiritual or emotional contexts.
彼女の言葉に救われた。
I was saved by her words.
多くの命が救われた。
Many lives were saved.
Literally 'to pick up one's life'. Means to narrowly escape death. More dramatic and less common.
あの地震で命拾いした。
I barely escaped with my life in that earthquake.
To be relieved from a burden, inconvenience, or unwanted task.
Also used for being spared trouble. Very common in daily conversation.
手伝ってくれて助かった。
You helped me out, that saved me.
バスが遅れなくて助かった。
The bus wasn't late, which saved me.
Means 'to save time/trouble'. Focuses on effort being eliminated.
このアプリのおかげで手間が省けた。
Thanks to this app, I was saved a lot of trouble.
To be delivered from sin or spiritual danger, often in a religious context.
The standard term for spiritual salvation. Used in Christian and general spiritual contexts.
信仰によって救われる。
One is saved by faith.
彼は罪から救われた。
He was saved from his sins.
Buddhist term for salvation or deliverance. Very formal and religious.
仏の力で済度される。
One is saved by the power of Buddha.
To be kept from being lost, especially data, money, or resources.
Passive of 保存する (to save/store). Used for data, files, food, etc.
データが自動的に保存される。
Data is saved automatically.
この書類はクラウドに保存されている。
This document is saved in the cloud.
From English 'save'. Common in gaming and casual tech contexts.
ゲームの進行がセーブされた。
The game progress was saved.
To be set aside or reserved for future use.
Passive of 取っておく (to set aside). Implies intentional saving.
この席は取っておかれている。
This seat is saved.
残りのケーキは明日のために取っておかれた。
The remaining cake was saved for tomorrow.
Passive of 残す (to leave behind). Can mean 'to be saved' as in 'left over'.
食べ物が少し残された。
Some food was saved (left over).
助かる is the most common and versatile word for 'be saved'. It is intransitive and focuses on the state of being safe or spared. 救われる is passive and often implies a savior or external force, and is preferred for emotional or spiritual salvation.
助かる is not used for saving files or data. Use 保存される or セーブされる instead.
ファイルが保存されなかった。
The file wasn't saved.