Office Keigo: When to Use いただく Over もらう

One Verb That Changes Everything

Yesterday we covered the giving/receiving verbs 差し上げる（さしあげる）, いただく, and くださる. Today, let's put them to work in the office.

Consider this: your boss asks you to prepare a report. You finish it and say:

• レポートをもらいました。

That's fine, but you're talking about your own action. In a meeting, you want to sound humble, not casual. So you switch to the humble form:

• レポートをいただきました。

Now you're showing respect to the person who gave it. But here's the nuance: いただく is humble, so it's about you receiving. It makes you look modest, which is good in Japanese office culture.

In Meetings: Using いただく for Input

In a meeting, you often ask for opinions. Instead of saying 意見（いけん）をもらいますか？, which is plain, you say:

• ご意見（いけん）をいただきたいのですが。

This means "I would like to receive your opinions." The ご prefix adds extra politeness. It's a set phrase you'll hear daily in Japanese companies.

Another common one: when you finish a presentation, you say:

• ご質問（しつもん）はありますか？

But more polite is:

• ご質問（しつもん）がございましたら、お願いします。

Wait, that uses ござる, a humble verb for "to be." We'll cover that on another day. For now, focus on いただく.

Talking to Superiors: Using くださる

When your superior does something for you, you use くださる (respectful). For example, if the manager corrected your draft:

• 部長（ぶちょう）が直してくださった。

This shows respect to the manager. But notice: if you're talking to the manager, you might say:

• 直していただき、ありがとうございました。

Here you're thanking the manager, but you're the one who received the favor. So you use humble いただく. It's a bit tricky: when you describe your own action of receiving, use humble; when you describe the superior's action of giving, use respectful.

Common Office Phrases

Let's look at some set phrases you'll use daily.

• ご報告（ほうこく）いたします。

(I will report.) This is humble: いたします is the humble form of する.

• ご確認（かくにん）お願いします。

(Please confirm.) This uses お願いします, which is polite request.

• お手数（てすう）ですが、～

(Sorry to trouble you, but…) This softens a request.

• ～していただけますか？

(Could you do ~ for me?) This is a humble request: you're asking if you can receive the action.

Example:

• この書類（しょるい）にサインしていただけますか？

(Could you sign this document?)

A Quick Note on お～する

Another humble pattern is お＋ます-stem＋する. For instance:

• お待（ま）ちします。

(I will wait.)

This is humble, used when you're the one doing the action. In an office, you might say:

• お届（とど）けします。

(I will deliver.)

One Mistake to Avoid

Don't use いただく when you're talking about your own action that doesn't involve receiving from a superior. For example, if you go to a meeting, you don't say いただく. You say 参（まい）ります (humble form of 行く). Mixing these up sounds odd.

Putting It Together

Imagine you're in a meeting with your team. You've just finished presenting. You say:

• ご意見（いけん）をいただき、ありがとうございました。

(Thank you for your opinions.)

Then the manager gives feedback. You respond:

• ご指摘（してき）いただき、感謝（かんしゃ）しております。

(I appreciate your feedback.)

See how いただく appears when you're the receiver? That's the key.

Tomorrow, we'll step out of the office and into a store. How do you ask a shop assistant for help without sounding rude? And what do you say when they offer you a bag? The answer isn't just お願いします. See you then.