Japanese grammar
What does ～ていく mean? Japanese grammar N4
～ていく means ~ away (receding) / ~ from now on.
| Level (estimated, JLPT framework) | N4 |
|---|---|
| Structure | V て + いきます |
| Romaji | ~ te iku |
| Meaning | ~ away (receding) / ~ from now on |
Forming it
| Contrast | ～ていく ↔ ～てくる |
|---|---|
| How to form | て form + いく: 歩く → 歩いて → 歩いていく |
| Further conjugation | いく is Group 1 (exception in the て-form): いきます、いった、いって |
How to use it
Expressing movement away from the speaker, or an ongoing change from the present toward the future.
- Picture an arrow: the speaker stands still at "here and now," ～ていく is an arrow pointing AWAY — away in space or away in time (moving toward the future).
- Meaning 1 — MOVING AWAY: 「鳥が飛んでいきました」(the bird flew away). Also used to describe the manner of movement: 「駅まで歩いていきます」(I'll walk to the station).
- Meaning 2 — DO SOMETHING THEN LEAVE: 「朝ご飯を食べていきます」(I'll eat breakfast then go). Very common in everyday life.
- Meaning 3 — CHANGE MOVING TOWARD THE FUTURE: 「これから寒くなっていきます」(from now on it will get gradually colder). The reference point is the present, with the trend pulling forward. This is the most abstract, hardest meaning, but it often appears on exams.
- The pair ていく／てくる is where foreign learners get mixed up the most, because you must always determine "where the speaker is standing." Tip: if the subject is moving toward the speaker → てくる; moving away from the speaker → ていく.
Examples
雨が降っているので、傘を持っていきます。
It is raining, so I will take an umbrella with me.
鳥が空へ飛んでいきました。
The bird flew away into the sky.
これから、日本語がもっと上手になっていくでしょう。
From now on, your Japanese will keep getting better.
Keep in mind
- いく is written in hiragana when functioning as an auxiliary verb.
- For changes, ていく looks from the present toward the future; てくる looks from the past up to the present.
Common mistakes
-
Wrong友達が私の家に持っていきました。
My friend brought it to my house.
Correct友達が私の家に持ってきました。
The friend brought something TO the speaker's house (私の家), so てくる must be used (direction toward the speaker). ていく is only used for direction AWAY from the speaker — here the direction is reversed right within the sentence.
-
Wrong傘を持って行きます。
I'll take my umbrella and go.
Correct傘を持っていきます。
When いく functions as an auxiliary verb (indicating direction/trend), it's written in hiragana. Writing 行きます would be understood as two separate actions: "hold the umbrella, then go."
Exam tips
- Determine the speaker's position first, then choose ていく／てくる — this is the only key point.
- これから + ～ていく and 最近／昔から + ～てくる are a pair of time markers that often appear on exams.