other N5 essential casualpolitewritten
あげる — to give (outward)
あげる
Meaning
- to give — the giver is the subject and the gift moves away from the speaker (to someone else, never toward me)
Key sentence
私は友達にプレゼントをあげた。
I gave my friend a present.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| giver は/が, recipient に, thing を | [giver] は [recipient] に [thing] をあげる | 妹に本をあげる |
Variants
やる — giving to animals, plants, or someone below you: 犬に餌をやる (blunt/casual) さしあげる — humble form, giving to a superior: 先生にさしあげる
Examples
彼女に花をあげた。
I gave her flowers.
弟はクラスメイトにお菓子をあげた。
My brother gave his classmate some sweets.
When you can't use it
- Never use あげる for giving toward yourself or your in-group — that direction is くれる. 友達が私にくれた ✓, never ×友達が私にあげた.
Easily confused with
See あげる in real sentences
Jengo shows あげる the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar.