Quick Reference

Meaning & Definition

送る (okuru) is one of those deceptively versatile verbs that covers both the act of sending something across a distance — a letter, a package, an email — and the act of accompanying someone to their departure point and seeing them off. These two senses feel different in English, but in Japanese they share the same word because both involve directing something or someone away from you.

送る (okuru) has two core senses that learners need to keep distinct.

The first is to send or dispatch: physically or digitally transmitting something to a recipient. 手紙を送る (tegami wo okuru) means to send a letter; メールを送る (meeru wo okuru) means to send an email; 荷物を送る (nimotsu wo okuru) means to send a parcel. This sense is used constantly in both everyday and professional contexts.

The second is to see off or escort: accompanying someone to the point where they leave — a station, an airport, or simply the front door. 駅まで送る (eki made okuru) means to see someone off to the station or to walk/drive them there; 空港まで送る (kuukou made okuru) means to take someone to the airport. This sense implies you go partway with the person and then return.

One important homophone to know: 贈る (okuru) — written with a different kanji — means to give a gift or present. プレゼントを贈る (purezento wo okuru) means to give a present. The pronunciation is identical, so context and kanji are the only distinguishing markers.

How to Use It

The most common point of confusion is the homophone pair 送る vs 贈る. Both are pronounced okuru, but 送る means to send or see off, while 贈る means to give a gift. In typed Japanese the IME will offer both kanji, so you must choose deliberately. A useful rule: 贈る is almost always used with gifts and ceremonial giving (flowers, awards, applause — 拍手を贈る), whereas 送る handles logistics and farewells. If you are speaking aloud without kanji, surrounding context — like whether you mention a present — will clarify which word is meant.

Kanji Breakdown

The character 送 combines the movement radical 辶 (shinnyuu), which appears on the bottom-left and signals motion or travel, with a right-hand component that serves as a sound marker rather than a meaning carrier — despite its resemblance, it is unrelated to 関, the kanji for a barrier or checkpoint. Paired with the movement radical, the character evokes something set in motion and dispatched on its way. The full character 送る thus captures the idea of propelling something outward, away from the sender.

Example Sentences

Cultural Context

Seeing someone off — the escort sense of 送る — carries real social weight in Japan. It is considered polite to walk a guest to the elevator, to the building entrance, or even partway down the street rather than saying goodbye at your own door. This practice, sometimes called miokuri (見送り), reflects a broader cultural value of attending to someone until the moment of actual departure rather than turning away once farewells are spoken.

In professional email culture, 送る and its polite form お送りする (o-okuri suru) are among the most frequently written verbs. Phrases like 資料をお送りします (shiryou wo o-okuri shimasu, ‘I will send the documents’) open countless business emails. Mastering the plain, polite, and humble forms of this verb is therefore a practical priority for anyone working in a Japanese office environment.

The send-off tradition extends to major life transitions. When a colleague leaves a company, coworkers hold a 送別会 (soubetsukai), a farewell gathering whose name literally contains 送 — the character for sending off. Similarly, graduation ceremonies and military departures in Japan have long-standing customs built around the act of okuru: escorting someone to the threshold of a new chapter and watching them go.

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