いただく

To Receive (Humble)

Level 3Sounds Like itadaku

いただく is the humble (謙譲語) version of 'to receive' (もらう). It is used when you receive something from a superior, customer, or client. It is also the humble way to say 'eat' or 'drink' and is essential for making polite requests.

How It Works

いただく is a versatile humble verb used in several primary ways to show professional humility and gratitude. It is a Group 1 (Godan) verb, which is important to remember when conjugating it into potential (いただける), passive, or causative forms. Note that the subject of an いただく sentence is always the receiver (usually "I" or the speaker's in-group, marked with は or が), while the giver is marked with に or から. This contrasts directly with くださる, where the giver is the subject. In professional contexts, it is often used in its polite form いただきます at the end of sentences, but it is also frequently used in the plain form when modifying nouns (e.g., ご記入いただく書類). Additionally, when used as a main verb (to receive/eat/drink), it is often written in kanji (頂く), but when used as an auxiliary verb (like て-form + いただく), it is generally written in hiragana. An important exception is the set phrase いただきます said before meals, which is conventionally written in hiragana despite functioning as a main verb. 1. Receiving Objects: It replaces もらう when receiving something from a teacher, boss, or customer. The giver is marked with に (for individuals) or から (often used for organizations like companies or schools to emphasize the source). Note that you cannot use いただく when receiving something from a subordinate, younger person, or family member (e.g., 弟に本をいただいた is unnatural); you must use もらう instead. 2. Receiving Favors (Actions): When used as て-form + いただく, it means 'to have someone do something for me.' This is the humble version of てもらう. It emphasizes your gratitude for their effort. 3. Polite Requests: The potential forms ～ていただけますか or ～ていただけませんか are standard ways to ask for favors very politely. It literally asks, 'Could I receive the favor of you doing...?' 4. Formal Humble Construction: The pattern お + masu-stem + いただく / ご + Verbal Noun (suru-verb) + いただく is a highly formal way to describe an action performed by the other party for the speaker's benefit. Unlike お/ご〜する (where the speaker performs the action), this pattern focuses on the speaker 'receiving' the other person's action (e.g., 私がお持ちします = I will carry it, whereas お客様にお持ちいただく = The customer carries it). 5. Eating and Drinking: It is the humble equivalent of 食べる（たべる） and 飲む（のむ）. This is most famously seen in the phrase いただきます, said before meals to express gratitude. 6. Permission (Causative): The pattern 使役 (causative) + いただく (～させていただく) is used to humbly state that you are doing something with the other party's permission or for your own benefit. It is the standard business equivalent for 'Please allow me to...' or 'I will...'.

Examples (6)

  1. 先生にお土産をいただきました。

    I (humbly) received a souvenir from my teacher.

    Word by Word: Teacher from souvenir (object) received.

    Here, いただく is used as the humble version of もらう because the giver (teacher) is of higher status.

  2. 部長に資料をチェックしていただきました。

    I had the department manager check the documents for me.

    Word by Word: Department manager by documents check-doing received.

    Using the て-form + いただきました shows that the speaker is grateful for the manager's favor.

  3. 美味しいお茶をいただきました。

    I (humbly) had some delicious tea.

    Word by Word: Delicious tea (object) received/drank.

    In this context, いただく acts as the humble version of 飲む（のむ）.

  4. 本日は休ませていただきます。

    I will (humbly) take the day off today.

    Word by Word: Today cause-to-rest receive.

    This uses the causative form to politely inform a superior that the speaker is taking an action with their permission.

  5. 窓を閉めていただけますか。

    Could you please close the window?

    Word by Word: Window (object) closing receive can?

    The potential form いただける is used to make very polite requests, literally asking if the speaker can 'receive' the favor of the action.

  6. こちらのサービスをご利用いただけます。

    You can use this service.

    Word by Word: This service (object) honorific-use receive-can.

    This uses the formal お + masu-stem + いただく / ご + Verbal Noun (suru-verb) + いただく construction. It is used when the other party (the customer) performs an action that the speaker's side 'receives' as a benefit.

Common Mistakes

  • Using いただく when the superior is the subject of the sentence.

    先生がプレゼントをいただきました。
    先生がプレゼントをくださいました。

    いただく is humble (謙譲語), meaning it lowers the subject. If you use it with the teacher as the subject, you are accidentally lowering the teacher. Use くださる (honorific) when the superior is the one giving.

  • Overusing ～させていただく for simple actions.

    駅まで歩かせていただきます。
    駅まで歩きます。

    Using the causative 'allow me to' form for actions that don't require permission or don't benefit the speaker specifically can sound unnatural or overly servile.

  • Using a humble verb for a superior's action (incorrect honorifics / double humble).

    先生に資料を拝見していただきました。
    先生に資料をご覧いただきました。

    拝見する（はいけんする） is already a humble verb for "to look." You cannot use a humble verb for a superior's action. When you want someone superior to look at something and you receive that favor, use the honorific form ご覧（ごらん） combined with いただく, resulting in ご覧いただく.

How It Connects

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いただくLevel 3To Receive (Humble)

Learn This First

いただく is the humble (kenjougo) equivalent of the verb もらう (to receive). To understand it, you must first be familiar with the basic verb 'to receive' and how particles like に and を function in that context. Additionally, a basic understanding of Japanese honorifics is necessary to know when and why to use humble language instead of polite or casual language.

Words in This Pattern

いただく