Practice JLPTHow to tell them apart
The core contrast is viewpoint: who is the giver and who is the receiver relative to the speaker. あげる means someone gives outward to an equal or out-group person, so it never describes someone giving to the speaker. くれる specifically means someone gives to the speaker or someone the speaker empathizes with. もらう flips the subject: the receiver is the focus, framed as receiving from someone else. Swapping them changes whose side the sentence is told from, e.g. 私は彼に本をあげた vs 彼が私に本をくれた vs 私が彼に本をもらった.
- あげる Use あげる when the giver is the subject and the receiver is an equal or out-group person, never the speaker.
- 呉れる・くれる Use くれる when someone gives something to the speaker or to someone the speaker empathizes with.
- もらう Use もらう when the receiver is the subject and the sentence focuses on receiving from someone else.
| Grammar point | Meaning | JLPT level |
|---|---|---|
| あげる ageru | Give (to social equal or out-group) | N5 |
| 呉れる・くれる reru kureru | Give (to me) | N4 |
| もらう morau | Receive | N4 |
あげる ageru
Give (to social equal or out-group)
Someone gives something to a person who is not a member of the giver’s in group but whose status is about equal to that of the giver.
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君はアンに何をあげましたか。
What did you give to Ann?
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大野さんは 山本さんに本をあげた。
Ms. Ono gave Mr. Yamamoto a book.
呉れる・くれる reru kureru
Give (to me)
Someone whose status is not higher than the speaker’s gives something to the first person or to someone with whom the speaker empathises.
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ビルは（君に）何を呉れましたか。
What did Bill give to you?
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大川さんは（私に）本を呉れた・呉れました。
Mr. Okawa gave me a book.
もらう morau
Receive
The first person or someone the speaker empathises with receives something from someone whose status is not as high as the receiver’s.
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山川さんは橋本さんにウイスキーをもらった。
Mr. Yamakawa got whiskey from Mr. Hashimoto.
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（あなたは）モリスさんに何をもらったの？
What did you get from Mr. Morris?
あげる and 呉れる・くれる and もらう are JLPT N5–N4 grammar points that Japanese learners often mix up. This page compares all 3 side by side — meanings, usage and example sentences — so you can tell them apart.