Verbs of Giving and Receiving

Japanese has a highly structured system for describing the transfer of objects and favors. The choice of verb depends strictly on the direction of the giving and the social relationship between the giver and the receiver. The three primary verbs are あげる (ageru), くれる (kureru), and もらう (morau).

Use あげる when you give to someone, or when someone gives to another person (outward flow). Use くれる when someone gives to you, or to a member of your close family/in-group (inward flow, pointing to the speaker's side). Use もらう when you or someone receives something from another person (focusing on the receiver as the subject). In terms of particles: the giver is marked by は or が, the recipient by に, and the item by を.

A very common mistake for learners is using あげる when someone gives something to the speaker (e.g., saying Tanaka-san wa watashi ni shousetsu wo ageta instead of kureta). Another error is placing the incorrect particles with もらう, where the source of the gift must be marked with に or から, not が (e.g., saying watashi wa Tanaka-san ga moratta instead of Tanaka-san ni/kara moratta).