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I've come across the following:

もらう (morau)

This is the last word we’re going to review. もらう (morau) means to receive or to get. This word has a nuance that you’re feeling grateful of what you’ve received. So you cannot use it for something that have negative nuance or about something that you don’t feel grateful about.

Recovered from crunchynihongo.com

Is this true? I can't find a reputable source which states the above. My book doesn't seem to mention this "nuance".

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    A correct answer has already been given so I will say it here. This must be one of the widespread misconceptions in the world of Japanese-as-a-foreign-language because I hear about it a couple of times every year. Native speakers do say 「パンチをもらう」、「小言をもらう」, etc. To give a more timely example, we even say this: search.yahoo.co.jp/…
    – user4032
    Commented Aug 7, 2021 at 13:19

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I don't think this is true.

We do use "もらう" when we received something unwanted.

Like 変なモノもらっちゃった(I received something weird.), or (a little bit tricky use) 風邪もらってきちゃったみたい(I think I've caught a cold.).

It's either the author of this article has misunderstood something, or he/she doesn't fully understand the language.

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  • Is the same true with verb-てもらう?
    – user3856370
    Commented Aug 7, 2021 at 15:18
  • @user3856370 Since "-てもらう" is a word that does not have any negative nuance(afaik), such as してもらう, させてもらう, or やってもらう. I think it's possible to have such nuance in a sarcastic way, but other than sarcasm, I think it has only positive nuance. Perhaps this is the reason for article writer to misunderstanding the word "もらう".
    – Skye-AT
    Commented Aug 7, 2021 at 19:45

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