Practice JLPTHow to tell them apart
The core contrast is who is the subject of the action and whose perspective the sentence takes. With あげる the doer is the subject and the receiver is outside the speaker's in-group, as in 僕は春子さんを慰めてあげた. With くれる the doer is someone else and the receiver is the speaker or someone the speaker empathizes with, as in ウォーカーさんは私の息子に英語を教えて呉れている. With もらう the receiver is the subject and the doer is marked by に, as in 木村さんは大野さんに車を貸してもらった. Swapping them changes whose viewpoint the sentence takes and can sound unnatural, especially if you use あげる toward someone of higher status or くれる when the receiver is not on the speaker's side.
- あげる Use あげる when you or someone in your group does a favor for an outsider of roughly equal status.
- 呉れる・くれる Use くれる when someone outside your group does a favor for you or someone you empathize with.
- もらう Use もらう when you or someone you empathize with receives a favor and want to focus on that benefit.
| Grammar point | Meaning | JLPT level |
|---|---|---|
| あげる ageru | Do for someone | N4 |
| 呉れる・くれる reru kureru | Do for me | N4 |
| もらう morau | Have someone do | N4 |
あげる ageru
Do for someone
Someone gives some action as a favour to a person who is not a member of the giver’s in group but whose status is about equal of the giver.
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僕は春子さんを慰めてあげた・あげました。
I consoled Haruko.
-
君はお母さんに何をしてあげましたか。
What did you do for your mother?
呉れる・くれる reru kureru
Do for me
Someone does something as a favour to the first person or to someone with whom the speaker empathises.
-
ウォーカーさんは私の息子に英語を教えて呉れている。
Ms. Walker is kindly teaching my son English.
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子供達は（あなたに）何をして呉れましたか。
What did your children do for you?
もらう morau
Have someone do
The first person or someone the speaker empathizes with receives some benefit from an action by someone whose status is not as high as the receiver’s.
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ジョンソンさんは鈴木さんに日本語を教えてもらっている。
Mr. Johnson has Mr. Suzuki teaching him Japanese.
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木村さんは大野さんに車を貸してもらった。
Mr. Kimura had Mr. Ono lend him his car.
あげる and 呉れる・くれる and もらう are both JLPT 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.