～てもらう (te morau) – Receiving a Favor in Japanese

Imagine asking your coworker to check your report, or getting your friend to explain something tricky. You needed help, you received it — and in Japanese, there's a perfect way to express that: ～てもらう.

This grammar point is all about receiving help or favors from others, but with a subtle twist: it emphasizes your perspective as the receiver. It's humble, polite, and incredibly useful in everyday Japanese. Let's break down how it works!

What Does ～てもらう Mean?

～てもらう means "to receive (someone doing something)" or "to have someone do something for me."

It combines:

The ～て form of a verb +
The verb もらう ("to receive")

So literally, you're "receiving" the act of someone doing something for your benefit.

This grammar emphasizes:

Your need or request for the action
The fact that you received help or service
A humble tone — you're acknowledging you relied on someone else

It's similar to ～てくれる (someone does something for me), but ～てもらう focuses more on the receiver's perspective and often implies you asked for or arranged the help.

How to Use ～てもらう

The basic structure is:

[Person] に + Verb (て-form) + もらう

The particle に marks the person who performs the action for you.
To make it polite, use もらいます instead of もらう.

Here's how to form the て-form for different verb types:

Godan Verbs (う-verbs):

てつだう (help) → てつだって → てつだってもらう
なおす (fix) → なおして → なおしてもらう
おくる (send) → おくって → おくってもらう

Ichidan Verbs (る-verbs):

おしえる (teach) → おしえて → おしえてもらう
みる (look at) → みて → みてもらう
しらべる (investigate) → しらべて → しらべてもらう

Irregular Verbs:

する (do) → して → してもらう
くる (come) → きて → きてもらう

Example Sentences

👔 先輩にレポートをチェックしてもらいました。 I had my senior check my report.

✂️ 友だちに髪を切ってもらった。 I had my friend cut my hair.

🚗父に駅まで送ってもらいました。 I had my dad drive me to the station.

📝 先生に作文を直してもらいました。 I had my teacher correct my essay.

💡 彼に説明してもらって、やっとわかった。 I had him explain it to me, and finally understood.

🏥 医者に診てもらったほうがいいよ。 You should have a doctor look at you.

～てもらう vs. ～てくれる: What's the Difference?

Both express that someone did something for you, but the nuance is different:

～てくれる:

Focus: The giver's kindness toward you
Feeling: Gratitude for their initiative
Example: 友だちが手伝ってくれた。(My friend helped me.) ← They kindly offered

～てもらう:

Focus: You receiving the action
Feeling: You asked for or needed their help
Example: 友だちに手伝ってもらった。(I had my friend help me.) ← I asked/arranged it

Think of it this way:

～てくれる = "They did this for me" (emphasizes their kindness)
～てもらう = "I received their help" (emphasizes your need/request)

Both are polite and natural, but ～てもらう tends to sound more humble because it acknowledges you relied on someone else's effort.

Make it Humble with ～ていただく

When speaking politely or formally, especially to superiors, customers, or in business situations, use ～ていただく instead of ～てもらう.

いただく is the humble form (謙譲語 / kenjōgo) of もらう, meaning "to humbly receive."

Examples:

🏢 部長に確認していただきました。 I had the department head confirm it. (Very polite)

📞 お客様にアンケートに答えていただきました。 We had our customers answer the survey. (Business context)

📚 先生に推薦状を書いていただきました。 I had my professor write me a letter of recommendation. (Formal)

Quick politeness scale:

もらう → receive (neutral)
いただく → receive (humble, respectful)

Use ～ていただく when the person helping you is:

Your boss, teacher, or senior
A customer or client
Anyone in a formal or professional context

Asking Someone to Do Something for You

You can also use ～てもらう to make requests:

～てもらえる？ (casual) → Can I have you do this?
～てもらえますか？ (polite) → Could I have you do this?
～てもらえない？ (casual, softer) → Couldn't I have you do this?

For formal situations, use:

～ていただけますか？ → Could I have you do this? (very polite)
～ていただけないでしょうか？ → Might I have you do this? (extremely polite)

Examples:

📋 これをチェックしてもらえますか？ Could you check this for me?

📦 荷物を持ってもらえない？ Could you carry this for me?

✉️ メールを送っていただけますか？ Could you send me an email? (polite)

🙏 少し待っていただけないでしょうか？ Might I ask you to wait a moment? (very polite)

These request forms are extremely common in Japanese — they're polite, natural, and show you're asking for someone's help with humility.

Cultural Insight: The Art of Humble Receiving

In Japanese culture, acknowledging that you've relied on someone's help is considered humble and appropriate. Using ～てもらう (or ～ていただく) shows you're not taking others' efforts for granted.

This is especially important in:

Business situations: When a client, partner, or superior does something for you, ～ていただく is the standard. It shows respect and professionalism.
Academic settings: When professors or seniors help you, ～ていただく is polite and appropriate.
Daily life: Even with friends, ～てもらう can express that you genuinely needed their help and appreciate it.

⚠️ Be careful with tone: While ～てもらう is humble, overusing it or using it in the wrong context can sound overly formal or distant with close friends. In casual situations, ～てくれる often sounds warmer and more natural.

Try It Yourself!

How would you say these in Japanese using ～てもらう?

"I had my friend teach me Japanese."

"I had the teacher look at my homework."

"Could you help me with this?" (polite)

✅ Answers:

友だちに日本語を教えてもらいました。

先生に宿題を見てもらいました。

これを手伝ってもらえますか？ (or: いただけますか？ for more polite)

Key Takeaways

～てもらう = "to receive someone doing something for me" or "to have someone do something"
Uses particle に to mark the person who does the action
Emphasizes the receiver's perspective — you needed or asked for help
More humble in tone than ～てくれる
For formal/polite situations, use ～ていただく instead
Common in requests: ～てもらえますか？/～ていただけますか？
Related grammar:
- ～てくれる → someone does something for me (emphasizes giver's kindness)
- ～てあげる → I do something for someone