だす (出す): One Verb, Many Meanings (with Examples)
Why one verb has so many meanings
When you meet 出す, the translations can feel scattered — take out? submit? send? serve? But there's a single thread tying them together: you make something move from inside to outside, or you put it forth into the world.
Trash goes out of the house. Homework goes out of your hands and to the teacher. A letter goes out through the mail. Tea is brought out and set in front of a guest. Even "show your energy" (元気を出す) is putting something forth from inside you. Hold that "cause X to come out / put X forth" image in your head and the long list below stops being ten words to memorize — it's one idea in different clothes.
One structural note before the meanings: 出す is the transitive verb (you do it to something). It has an intransitive twin, でる (出る, "to come out / to leave"), which we'll compare at the end — it's a classic JLPT trap.
The meanings, most common first
1. To take out / put out (出す)
ヤッタンは朝ごみを出す。
ヤッタンは あさ ごみを だす。
Yattan takes out the trash in the morning.
2. To submit / hand in (出す)
モチは先生に宿題を出した。
モチは せんせいに しゅくだいを だした。
Mochi handed in the homework to the teacher.
宿題を出す and レポートを出す are everyday school phrases — 'hand in / turn in.'
3. To send / mail (出す)
先生は弟に手紙を出した。
せんせいは おとうとに てがみを だした。
Sensei sent a letter to (Yattan's) little brother.
手紙を出す = to mail a letter. You can also メールを出す, though メールを送る (おくる) is more common for email.
4. To serve / bring out (food or drink) (出す)
モチはお客さんにお茶を出した。
モチは おきゃくさんに おちゃを だした。
Mochi served tea to the guests.
Bringing food or drink out to someone uses 出す.
5. To take out (from a bag/pocket) (出す)
ヤッタンはかばんから財布を出した。
ヤッタンは かばんから さいふを だした。
Yattan took his wallet out of his bag.
6. To show / produce (effort, speed) (出す)
ヤッタンの弟は「元気を出して!」と言った。
ヤッタンの おとうとは「げんきを だして!」と いった。
Yattan's little brother said, 'Cheer up!'
元気を出す = literally 'put out your energy,' i.e. cheer up. スピードを出す = to pick up speed.
7. To put out / produce (a sound, a result) (出す)
ヤッタンは大きな声を出した。
ヤッタンは おおきな こえを だした。
Yattan let out a loud voice.
声を出す = to make a sound / speak up — putting your voice forth.
And it keeps going, all from the same "cause X to come out" image: お金を出す (to pay / put up money), 店を出す (to open a shop), 答えを出す (to come up with an answer). Once the core image clicks, most of these feel intuitive rather than memorized.
Bonus (N4): 〜出す = to suddenly start. Attach 出す to a verb stem and it means an action bursts into being: 泣き出す (なきだす, "to burst into tears"), 降り出す (ふりだす, "to start raining"). This is a separate N4 grammar point — see /grammar/n4/hajimeru for how 〜出す compares with 〜始める. At N5, just recognize it.
Common collocations worth memorizing
Some 出す phrases are so fixed that natives treat them as single units. Learn them as chunks and you'll sound natural fast:
| Collocation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ごみを出す | to take out the trash |
| 宿題を出す | to hand in homework |
| 手紙を出す | to mail a letter |
| お茶を出す | to serve tea |
| 元気を出す | to cheer up |
| 声を出す | to speak up / make a sound |
| スピードを出す | to pick up speed |
| お金を出す | to pay / put up money |
Kanji & related 出す verbs
The kanji is 出 ("to come out / to put out") — the same character used in its intransitive partner 出る (でる). Because 出 carries the whole "out" idea, the kanji is almost always written; 出す is rarely left in pure kana.
Watch the pairing: 出 sits at the center of a small family of "out" words you'll meet early —
- 出る (でる, N5) — to come out / to leave / to attend (intransitive partner of 出す)
- 出かける (でかける, N5) — to go out / set off
- 出口 (でぐち, N5) — exit ("out-mouth")
At N5, the key job is to keep 出す (you put it out) and 出る (it comes out) straight — that's the next section.
出す vs 出る — the trap
These two are a transitive/intransitive pair sharing the kanji 出, and the JLPT loves testing them. The difference is who or what is doing it:
| Form | Core idea | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 出す (だす, transitive) | Someone causes something to come out / puts it forth | ごみを出す = (I) take out the trash |
| 出る (でる, intransitive) | Something comes out / leaves on its own, or you exit | 部屋を出る = (I) leave the room; 月が出る = the moon comes out |
A neat way to feel it: with 出す there's an object marked with を that you're pushing out (ごみを出す, 手紙を出す). With 出る the thing itself simply comes out or you yourself exit (電車が出る = "the train departs"; 家を出る = "to leave home," where を marks the place you exit, not a thing you push). If you can point to a thing you're putting out, it's 出す.
Quick recap
- One image powers them all: cause X to come out / put X forth.
- High-value chunks: ごみを出す, 宿題を出す, 手紙を出す, 元気を出す.
- It's a transitive Group 1 (u-)verb: だします, だして, ださない — conjugates like 話す.
- Its partner 出る (でる) is intransitive: you push something out with 出す; something comes out with 出る.
Your turn
Ready to test your N5 vocabulary in context?
Start the 5-question drill →Frequently asked questions
Is 出す a ru-verb or u-verb?
出す is a Group 1 (u-verb / godan) verb. It conjugates like 話す: だ-します, だ-して, だ-さない. The te-form is 出して (だして), not 出てて.
What is the difference between 出す and 出る?
出す (だす) is transitive — you cause something to come out: ごみを出す = to take out the trash. 出る (でる) is intransitive — something comes out or you leave on your own: 部屋を出る = to leave the room.
Do I use 出す for sending an email?
You can say メールを出す, but メールを送る (おくる) is more common for email. 出す is the standard verb for mailing a physical letter: 手紙を出す.
What does 元気を出す mean?
Literally 'to put out your energy.' It means to cheer up or to perk up — putting forth the spirit from inside you, which fits 出す's core 'put it forth' image.