Both verbs describe giving away from the speaker’s side, but differ in formality and social relationship.

The idea

Use あげる for giving to a friend or equal: 友達に本をあげます. Use the humble 差し上げる when giving to a person you wish to honor, such as a teacher: 先生に花を差し上げます. The recipient takes に and the gift takes を.

Patterns to compare
FormRecipient
あげます友達ともだち
差さし上あげます先生せんせい

Examples

  • 友達ともだちに本ほんをあげます。I give a book to a friend.
  • 妹いもうとに誕生日たんじょうびのプレゼントをあげました。I gave my younger sister a birthday present.
  • 先生せんせいに花はなを差さし上あげます。I will give flowers to my teacher.
  • 部長ぶちょうにお土産みやげを差さし上あげました。I gave the department manager a souvenir.
  • 同僚どうりょうにお菓子かしをあげました。I gave a colleague some sweets.
  • 祖母そぼに写真しゃしんをあげます。I will give my grandmother a photo.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

差し上げる lowers the giver; it is not an honorific verb for a respected person’s action. Even て差し上げる can sound as if you are emphasizing a favor, so a neutral offer may be better. For giving to the speaker, use くれる or its honorific equivalent instead.

Try it yourself

  1. 友達ともだちに本ほんを＿＿。（あげます／差さし上あげます）

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    あげます

    あげます suits a gift to a friend in an ordinary relationship.

  2. 先生せんせいに花はなを＿＿。（あげます／差さし上あげます）

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    差し上げます

    差し上げます humbly describes the speaker giving a gift to a teacher.

  3. 先生せんせい＿＿花はなを差さし上あげます。（に／を）

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    に

    に marks the recipient; を marks the gift.

Use it today

Describe a gift to a friend, then choose a humble expression for a gift to a teacher.