Quick Reference

Meaning & Definition

Morau completes the give-and-receive triangle alongside ageru and kureru. Where ageru focuses on the giver moving something outward and kureru frames the act from the giver’s generosity toward you, morau plants the speaker firmly at the receiving end — making it the verb of choice whenever you want to say “I got” or “I had someone do something for me.”

Morau (もらう) is a transitive godan verb meaning to receive or to get something from another person. Its core use is straightforward: 友達にプレゼントをもらった (tomodachi ni purezento o moratta) — “I received a present from a friend.” The particle ni marks the source of what is received, which is the opposite of ageru, where ni marks the recipient.

Beyond physical objects, morau extends into the auxiliary verb pattern 〜てもらう (~te morau), which expresses having someone perform an action for your benefit: 友達に手伝ってもらった (tomodachi ni tetsudatte moratta) — “I had my friend help me” or “My friend helped me (and I appreciated it).” This pattern subtly encodes gratitude; it is not a neutral request record but an acknowledgment that the action benefited you.

How to Use It

The hardest part of morau is choosing between it and kureru. Both describe receiving, but kureru spotlights the giver’s generosity directed at you, while morau spotlights your act of receiving. In practice: if the sentence subject is the giver, use kureru (友達がくれた); if the subject is you (the receiver), use morau (友達にもらった).

For formality, morau has a direct honorific upgrade: itadaku (いただく). Use morau with peers and family; switch to itadaku for superiors, clients, or any situation requiring keigo. The auxiliary pattern follows the same rule: 〜てもらう becomes 〜ていただく in formal speech.

Also watch the particle: the source of what you receive takes ni (から is also acceptable but slightly more distant). Using を by mistake for the giver — instead of the thing received — is a common learner error.

Example Sentences

Cultural Context

Japanese has three verbs for giving and receiving — ageru, kureru, and morau — and together they form a triangle that encodes social direction. Ageru moves something away from the speaker outward; kureru moves something inward toward the speaker as a gift from someone else; morau captures the same inward movement but from the receiver’s own perspective. Mastering all three means you can describe any exchange accurately from any social vantage point.

The honorific system layers directly onto morau. In everyday speech among friends, もらう works fine. In the workplace or with customers, speakers switch to itadaku (いただく), the humble form. This is not mere politeness — using morau where itadaku is expected can read as dismissive of the other person’s status. The auxiliary pattern 〜ていただく is especially common in business emails and formal requests, turning a simple ask into a deferential expression of gratitude-in-advance.

The 〜てもらう construction carries a quiet cultural weight: it frames actions done by others as favors received, not just neutral events. When a Japanese speaker says 先生に教えてもらった (sensei ni oshiete moratta), they are not only reporting that the teacher explained something — they are acknowledging a debt of gratitude. This habitual framing of received actions as gifts reflects the broader Japanese cultural value of on (恩), the sense of obligation and appreciation that flows from being helped by others.

📚 Learn More