おくる

They are the same word! 「おくる」is just the hiragana writing, and 「送る」is the kanji writing. In Japanese, verbs are often written with kanji for the root and hiragana for the ending. For example, 「送る」is the more common way to write it in sentences.

You use it with the particle 「を」 (o) to indicate what you're sending, and often with 「に」 (ni) to indicate the recipient or destination. For example:

• 手紙を送る (tegami o okuru) - to send a letter
• メールを送る (mēru o okuru) - to send an email
• 友達にプレゼントを送る (tomodachi ni purezento o okuru) - to send a present to a friend

You use it to talk about seeing someone off when they are leaving, like at an airport or train station. It's often used with the particle 「を」 (o) for the person you're seeing off, and 「まで」 (made) if you specify the location. For example:

• 友達を駅まで送る (tomodachi o eki made okuru) - to see a friend off at the station
• 空港で家族を送る (kūkō de kazoku o okuru) - to see family off at the airport

Yes, it can also mean 'to spend (time)'. This is a slightly different nuance but also common. For example:

• 楽しい時間を送る (tanoshii jikan o okuru) - to spend a pleasant time
• 静かな毎日を送る (shizukana mainichi o okuru) - to spend quiet days

To make it polite, you change it to its masu form: 「送ります」 (okurimasu). For example, 「手紙を送ります」 (tegami o okurimasu) means 'I will send a letter' (polite).

The past tense is 「送った」 (okutta) for casual speech, and 「送りました」 (okurimashita) for polite speech. For example, 「メールを送った」 (mēru o okutta) - 'I sent an email' (casual).

Absolutely! It's very common to use 「荷物を送る」 (nimotsu o okuru) to mean 'to send a package'.

When sending to a specific place, you usually use the particle 「に」 (ni) to mark the destination. For example, 「日本に送る」 (Nihon ni okuru) - 'to send to Japan'.

The negative form is 「送らない」 (okuranai) for casual speech, and 「送りません」 (okurimasen) for polite speech. For example, 「まだ送らない」 (mada okuranai) - 'I haven't sent it yet' (casual).

Yes, the passive form is 「送られる」 (okurareru). For example, 「プレゼントが送られる」 (purezento ga okurareru) - 'A present is sent'.