協力する
きょうりょくする·kyouryoku suru
Meaning
to cooperate; to collaborate; to work together; to lend support
Nuance & Usage
協力する means to cooperate or work together toward a shared goal. ご協力ありがとうございます (Thank you for your cooperation) is one of the most frequently heard polite phrases in Japan — on public transportation, in offices, and in surveys. 協力し合う (to cooperate with each other, mutually) and 協力を求める (to seek cooperation/help) are common patterns. The noun 協力 (kyouryoku) is used in signs: 皆様のご協力をお願いします (We ask for everyone's cooperation).
Common Mistakes
Learners sometimes confuse 協力する with 手伝う (tetsudau — to help with a task) or 助ける (tasukeru — to rescue/help). 協力する implies mutual effort toward a common goal, not just one person helping another. 一緒に協力する is slightly redundant since 協力 already implies working together, though it's used colloquially for emphasis. The particle with 協力する is に: 〜に協力する (to cooperate with ~) or と: 〜と協力する (to cooperate with ~).
Example Sentences (3)
皆さんのご協力があったからこそ、このプロジェクトが成功しました。
みなさんのごきょうりょくがあったからこそ、このぷろじぇくとがせいこうしました。
It was precisely because of everyone's cooperation that this project succeeded.
アンケートにご協力ください。
あんけーとにごきょうりょくください。
Please cooperate with our survey.
隣の部署と協力して、新しいサービスを開発した。
となりのぶしょときょうりょくして、あたらしいさーびすをかいはつした。
We collaborated with the neighboring department to develop a new service.
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