The Meaning of okuru [贈る] In Japanese

贈る
おくる
Romaji: okuru N5

What does 贈る mean?

Translation and Meaning

to give as a gift, to present, to bestow, to award

Definition

贈る means to give someone a gift or present something, especially as a deliberate gesture of goodwill or celebration; it emphasizes the act of presenting an object or symbol rather than merely handing it over.

Type

Verb (godan) (動詞・五段)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • To confer a tangible gift in personal or ceremonial contexts.
  • To bestow or confer something non-physical, such as an honor or award, as a ceremonial gesture.
  • To send or present a token, such as greetings or commemorative items, as a sign of goodwill.

Etymology

Phonetic evolution: On’yomi readings ソウ and ゾウ were assigned to this kanji to convey the idea of gifting, while the kun’yomi おくる developed to express the native verb sense of giving a gift; the character functions as a semantic cue for presenting in Japanese.

Composition

  • 贈: the core semantic element meaning gift or present
  • る: verb ending that turns the noun form into a verb

Usage

Used to describe the act of giving a gift or presenting something to someone, in contexts ranging from casual exchanges to formal ceremonies; it typically takes a を-marked object for the item and a に-marked recipient, and often appears in phrases with 贈り物 or in sentences about celebrations and memorials.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: picture a shell-shaped radical on the left indicating value, paired with a wrapped gift being handed over to someone to remember the action of presenting as in 贈る

Variations

  • 贈与する (ぞうよ suru) – formal synonym; ぞうよ is read zouyo.
  • 与える (あたえる) – broader sense to give or bestow, less formal than 贈る.
  • 贈呈する (ぞうていする) – formal act of presenting or awarding.
  • 受け取る (うけとる) – opposite of receiving, a common antonym in usage pairs.

Example Phrases

  • 友達に誕生日の花を贈る計画を立てた。
    Tomodachi ni tanjoubi no hana o okuru keikaku o tateta.
    I planned to give my friend birthday flowers.
    Lista:
    • 友達に (tomodachi ni) – to a friend
    • 誕生日の花 (tanjoubi no hana) – birthday flowers
    • を (wo) – object marker
    • 贈る (okuru) – to give (as a gift)
    • 計画を (keikaku o) – the plan (object marker)
    • 立てた (tateta) – made
    Here, 「贈る」 indicates giving as a gift. The recipient is marked with に and the thing being given with を.
贈る