ใใใใใ, ใใใใใ, andใใใใใ. These three verbs are called ใๆๅๅ่ฉใ(“giving and receiving verbs”) and are used when exchanging things with someone.
The verbs used differ depending on which point of view you are in: the giver or the receiver. Since it is rare for a language to have three different terms, it is said to be one of the most difficult verbs for Japanese learners to understand. Let’s take a look at the meaning of each and the concepts of ใใใกใ and ใใใจใ (โinside” and “outsideโ).
Table of Contents
The concept of ใใใกใ and ใใใจใ
The concept of ใใใกใ and ใใใจใ is important in understanding the verbs we learn here.
ใใใกใdirectly translates to “inside” or “home” in English and refers to people who are (perceived as) on your side from the speaker’s point of view, such as friends or family.ใใใจใ refers to the rest of the people. The scope of ใใใกใ and ใใใจใ depends on the context of the conversation. *When you read it the first time, you donโt have to try to understand it fully. Read the meaning of each verb below, and then look back here again.
For example, if you consider yourself as ใใใกใ you can consider your mother as ใใใจใ.
ๆฏใ้่ใ้ใฃใฆใใใใ
โMy mother sent me vegetables.โ
For example, if you consider your family, including your mother, to be ใใใกใ would be ใใใจใ.
ใใใกใฎๆฏใไผ็คพใฎๅๅใซใ่ๅญใ่ดใฃใฆใใใใใ
โMy mother gave a sweet gift to my colleagues at work.โ
Your colleagues can be also regarded as ใใใกใ. In this example, the general manager of another company is recognized as ใใใจใ.
ใใใกใฎไผ็คพใใใๅๅผๅ
ใฎไผ็คพใฎ้จ้ทใซ้่ท็ฅใใ่ดใฃใฆใใใใใ
โOur company sent a retirement gift to the general manager of one of our clients’ companies.โ
ใใใ
AใBใซ๏ฝ(ใใฆ)ใใใ
โA (the speaker) give/do something for B (someone)โ
*ใใใกใใใใใจใใซ๏ฝ(ใใฆ)ใใใ
honorific: (ใใใฆ)ใใใใใ
It means that the speaker gives or does something for the other person. Basically, the subject comes to the speaker, the speaker’s family, or people on the same team who fit intoใใใกใ for the speaker.
ใใใฎใทใฃใใ้้ใใฆ2ใคๆณจๆใใกใใฃใใใใ1ใคใฏๅฆนใซใใใใใใ
โI ordered two of these shirts by mistake, so I’ll give one to my sister.โ
*ใใใกใ: ็ง (I), ใใใจใ: ๅฆน (younger sister)
ใ็งใฎใใใใกใใใ็งใฎๅฝผๆฐใซๅคใๆฌใใใใใใ
โMy grandpa gave my boyfriend some old books.โ
*ใใใกใ: ็งใฎใใใใกใใ (my grandpa), ใใใจใ: ็งใฎๅฝผๆฐ (my boyfriend)
ใใใ
BใAใซ๏ฝ(ใใฆ)ใใใ
โB (someone) give/do something for A (the speaker)โ
*ใใใจใใใใใกใใซ๏ฝ(ใใฆ)ใใใ
honorific: (ใใใฆ)ใใ ใใ
It implies that the other person has given or done something for the speaker, and the speaker is grateful.
ใใใฎใฌในใใฉใณใงใฏใใคใๅญไพใใกใซใ่ๅญใใใใใใ
โThis restaurant always gives my kids some snacks.โ
*ใใใกใ: ๅญไพใใก (my kids), ใใใจใ: ใใฎใฌในใใฉใณ (this restaurant)
Basically, it is a verb used to express gratitude for something the other person has voluntarily done for the speaker.
However, we often use ใใใใใ when we want to say, “someone did such a great job (beyond our expectations),” even if the act was done because we asked them to do so.
ใ็งใใกใฎๆ
่กไธญใๅ้ใใใกใฎ็ฌใฎไธ่ฉฑใใใฆใใใใใ
โDuring our trip, my friend took care of my dog.โ
*In this case, the friend did not take care of the speaker’s pet voluntarily, but the speaker probably asked his friend to do so. The speaker uses this verb because he appreciates that his friend did a better job of taking care of the pet than he asked (or expected).
ใใใ
Aใ(/ใฏ)Bใซ๏ฝ(ใใฆ)ใใใ
*When the subject is “I” or “we”, we tend to use ใใฏใ as a particle.
โA (the speaker) request/ask B (someone) to give/do something and s/he actually doesโ
*ใใใกใใใใใจใใซ๏ฝ(ใใฆ)ใใใ
honorific: (ใใใฆ)ใใใ ใ
It implies that the other gives or does something the speaker asks for, and the speaker is grateful.
ใไปๆ้ ญใ็ใใฃใใฎใงใๅงใซ้ ญ็่ฌใใใใใพใใใใ
โI had a headache this morning, so I asked my sister to give me some headache pills (and she did).โ
*ใใใกใ: ็ง (myself), ใใใจใ: ๅง (my older sister)
Even when the action is not based on a request, it is preferred to use ใใใใใ to express respect or gratitude for an action done by someone of higher age or status. (For example, when an action is performed by a king, a president, or an older person who is highly respected.)
ใ็คพ้ทใซใฏใๅปไธใงไผใๅบฆใซๆใใใ่จ่ใใใใฆใใใใพใใใใ
โThe president gave me warm encouragement every time I met him in the hallway.โ
In this case, the speaker did not request the president to say, โPlease give me warm encouragement,โ but the president must have encouraged the speaker by his own will. He did not request it, but he used ใใใใใ to express his gratitude that the president took the trouble to comprehend my mind and treated me so kindly.
* As mentioned, there are many exceptions. As long as you use ใใใกใ and ใใใจใcorrectly for the subject, you use eitherใใใใใ and ใใใใใ. So, rather than which verb to use, pay attention to whether you are using the right subject that fits the ใใใกใ and ใใใจใ concepts.
Connecting after other verbs
All of these verbs mean โgiveโ or โreceiveโ when used alone, but when connected after another verb withใใฆๅฝขใ(Te-form), they become ่ฃๅฉๅ่ฉ (auxiliary verbs), meaning โsomeone does something for someone else.โ
AใBใซ๏ฝใใฆใใใ: A does something for B
ใ(็งใ)ๅ้ใซๆผซ็ปใ่ฒธใใฆใใใใใ
โI lend a comic book to a friend.โ
BใAใซ๏ฝใใฆใใใ: B does something for A
ใๅ
่ผฉใ(็งใซ)ใใฎใทในใใ ใฎไฝฟใๆนใๆใใฆใใใใใ
โA senior colleague showed me how to use this system.โ
AใBใซ๏ฝใใฆใใใ: A asks /requests B to do something for A and B actually doesย (B does something for A on Aโs request.)
ใๆฏใใๅป่
ใใใซๅคใใซ่ฌใๅบใใฆใใใฃใใใ
โMy mother asked the doctor to give her extra medicine, and he did.โ
Which one should I use when talking about third parties?
These are verbs that can be used to refer to third parties that do not fall into either ใใใกใ and ใใใจใ without any problem. In such cases, check the following three items.
Who is the subject?
a giver belongs to ใใใกใis ใใใ; a giver belongs to ใใใจใ is ใใใ; a receiver belongs to ใใใกใ is ใใใ.
Whether the action was done upon request
If yes, itโs ใใใ.
Whether the act was done by someone of higher status or age
If yes, itโs ใใใ.
Example 1: When the status of the giver and receiver are different
When you see the news and want to say to your friend, “Ed Sheeran was awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire)!” you can say as below.
ใใฃใผใซใบ็ๅคชๅญใใจใใทใผใฉใณใซๅคง่ฑๅธๅฝๅฒ็ซ ใใใใใฃใฆ๏ผ
โPrince Charles gave Ed Sheeran the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)!โ
*There is a nuance of attention to Prince Charles, or the speaker is surprised by what Prince Charles did.
ใจใใทใผใฉใณใๅคง่ฑๅธๅฝๅฒ็ซ (MBE)ใใใใฃใใฃใฆ๏ผ
โEd Sheeran received the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)!โ
*There’s a nuance of attention to Ed Sheeran, or the speaker is surprised by the fact that Ed Sheeran was chosen.
*In this case, Prince Charles is considered a person of higher rank than Ed Sheeran, so it is better to use ใใใใใ than ใใใใใ.
Example 2: When the status of the giver and receiver are the same
If you want to tell your friends about the episode when Katy Perry and Taylor Swift made up like “Taylor baked cookies for Katie.โ, you can say as below.
ใใคใฉใผใใฑใคใใฃใซใฏใใญใผใ็ผใใฆใใใใใ ใฃใฆ๏ผ
“Taylor baked cookies for Katie.”
*There is a nuance of feeling that the speaker is just stating facts. Or like the speaker is talking about Taylor’s generosity from Taylor’s side (Taylor’s fan’s side).
ใใคใฉใผใใฑใคใใฃใซใฏใใญใผใ็ผใใฆใใใใใ ใฃใฆ๏ผ
“Taylor baked cookies for Katie.”
*There’s a nuance of being on Katy’s side [as a fan of Katy’s] and talking about Taylor’s kindness.
*In this case, Katie probably didn’t ask Taylor to bake cookies, and they are friends, so ใใใใใ sounds more natural than ใใใใใ.
Situations
1- My son and I visited a friend’s house.
โณๅ้ใๆฏๅญใซใใงใณใฌใผใใใใใใ
โMy friend gave my son some chocolates.โ
*Basically, the subject must be a person of ใใใกใ. When comparing a friend to a son, the friend is the person ofใใใจใ, so when you would like to set the friend as the subject, you use ใใใใใ.
If you dare to use ใใใใใ for this situation, it sounds like you blame your friend for giving chocolates to your son, who is not supposed to have them yet because he’s still one year old.
ๅ้ใๆฏๅญใซใใงใณใฌใผใใใใใใ
โMy friend gave my son some chocolates.โ
*I am grateful for my friendโs willingness to welcome my son with chocolates.
ๆฏๅญใๅ้ใซใใงใณใฌใผใใใใใฃใใ
โMy son received chocolates from my friend.โ
*I am grateful my friend gave my son chocolates because he wanted (or seemed to want) them.
2- Suddenly it rains unexpectedly.
๏ผ็งใ๏ผๅ้ใซๅใ่ฒธใใฆใใใใ
โI lent an umbrella to my friend.โ
*I offered an umbrella to a friend who had not brought one.
ๅ้ใ๏ผ็งใซ๏ผๅใ่ฒธใใฆใใใใ
โMy friend lent me an umbrella.โ
*My friend was so kind as to lend me an umbrella, as I had not brought one with me.
๏ผ็งใฏ๏ผๅ้ใซๅใ่ฒธใใฆใใใฃใใ
โI asked my friend to lend me an umbrella.โ
*I had not brought an umbrella, so I asked a friend who had two umbrellas to lend me one.
Key points
| ย | ใใใ | ใใใ | ใใใ |
|---|---|---|---|
| The subject | giver | giver | receiver |
| Upon request | yes | sometimes yes | yes |
Who is the subject:
If itโs a giver, ใใใใใใใใใใ; receiver, ใใใใใ.
Whether the action was taken upon request:
If yes,ใใใใใ.
Whether the act was done by someone of higher status or age:
If yes, ใใใใใ.
