Japanese grammar
What does ～てくる mean? Japanese grammar N4
～てくる means ~ toward (approaching) / ~ up until now / ~ and come back.
| Level (estimated, JLPT framework) | N4 |
|---|---|
| Structure | V て + きます |
| Romaji | ~ te kuru |
| Meaning | ~ toward (approaching) / ~ up until now / ~ and come back |
Forming it
| Contrast | ～てくる ↔ ～ていく |
|---|---|
| How to form | て form + くる: 走る → 走って → 走ってくる |
| Further conjugation | くる is irregular: きます、きた、きて、こない |
How to use it
Movement toward the speaker, a change from the past up to the present, or going to do something and coming back.
- The opposite of ～ていく: the arrow points TOWARD the speaker — in space or in time (from the past up to now).
- Meaning 1 — COMING CLOSER: 「犬が走ってきました」(the dog came running over). A person/thing moves toward you.
- Meaning 2 — GO DO SOMETHING AND COME BACK (very common): 「ちょっとコンビニへ行ってきます」(I'll go to the convenience store for a bit and be back). The phrase 「行ってきます」said when leaving home is exactly this pattern — implying "I'm going and I'll come back."
- Meaning 3 — CHANGE FROM THE PAST UP TO THE PRESENT: 「最近、暖かくなってきました」(lately it has been getting gradually warmer). Compare with ～ていく: 「暖かくなってきました」= it has been getting warmer up to now; 「暖かくなっていきます」= from now on it will get warmer.
- Meaning 4 — SOMETHING BEGINNING TO APPEAR: 「雨が降ってきました」(it started to rain), 「お腹がすいてきた」(starting to feel hungry). Describes a phenomenon emerging and gradually increasing.
Examples
急に雨が降ってきました。
It suddenly started raining.
ちょっとパンを買ってきます。
I will go buy some bread and come back.
最近、日本語が分かってきました。
Lately I have gradually come to understand Japanese.
Keep in mind
- くる is written in hiragana when functioning as an auxiliary verb.
- 「行ってきます」／「行ってらっしゃい」 is an everyday greeting pair based on this pattern.
Common mistakes
-
Wrongこれから、暑くなってきます。
From now on, it will get gradually hotter.
Correctこれから、暑くなっていきます。
これから (from now on) points toward the future → ていく must be used. てくる is only for a change that has already occurred up to now. Vietnamese learners often pick randomly because Vietnamese just states "it will gradually get hot" without marking direction, and that's it.
-
Wrongもう会えないから、コンビニへ行ってきます。
Since I won't be able to see you again, I'll just go straight to the convenience store.
Correctもう会えないから、コンビニへ行きます。
～てくる implies CERTAINLY RETURNING to where the speaking is happening. The sentence already said "won't be able to meet again" (implying not returning) yet still uses てくる (implying returning) — a direct contradiction within the same sentence.
Exam tips
- 「～てきました」with weather phenomena/feelings (降ってきた、すいてきた、疲れてきた) is a familiar exam point.