Meaning & Usage
✨ Basic Meaning
A versatile auxiliary structure that combines the action of the main verb with the concept of “coming” (くる). It signifies directional movement or temporal progression.
🎯 Primary Function
To indicate movement (going and returning) or a directional change/continuation in time, moving toward the speaker or the present moment.
📋 Grammar Structure
Verb Te-form + くる (kuru)
I-adjective stem + くなって + くる (e.g., 寒くなってくる)
Na-adjective stem + になって + くる (e.g., 便利になってくる)
Vて-form + こない (konai) or Vて-form + きません (kimasen)
🎭 Usage Contexts
Formal Situations
Used by conjugating くる to its polite form (きます, きました) and applying it to formal or professional verbs.
Informal Situations
Used with くる or the plain forms (きた, こない) in casual speech.
Written Language
Common in narrative writing, reports, and diaries to describe ongoing situations or developments.
Spoken Language
Extremely common. Essential for expressing personal processes, errands, and natural changes.
💡 Common Applications
Movement: Go and Come Back (往復 – Ōfuku)
Indicates that the speaker or subject will go to perform an action (V) and then return to the original location. Used commonly for quick errands.
Example: 牛乳を買ってきます。(Gyūnyū o katte kimasu.)
Temporal Change/Continuation (Past to Present)
Indicates that an action or state started in the past and has continued, developed, or progressed up to the present moment. (Similar to “have been V-ing”).
Example: この仕事を十年間続けてきた。(Kono shigoto o jūnenkan tsudzukete kita.)
Temporal Change/Progression (Starting/Future Development)
Indicates a gradual, developing change that moves toward the speaker or the present moment, often used with verbs like ‘naru’ (to become). It shows a shift or beginning of a process.
Example: だんだん暖かくなってきた。(Dandan atatakaku natte kita.)
Frequency
Very High (Essential for daily conversation and indicating temporal change)
Difficulty
N4 / N3
Tag:
Example Sentences
Example #1
飲み物を買ってきます。
Furigana: のみもの を かってきます。
Romaji: Nomimono o katte kimasu.
English: I’ll go buy some drinks and come back soon.
Example #2
彼は笑顔で走ってきた。
Furigana: かれ は えがお で はしってきた。
Romaji: Kare wa egao de hashitte kita.
English: He came running toward us with a big smile.
Example #3
この問題をずっと考えてきた。
Furigana: この もんだい を ずっと かんがえてきた。
Romaji: Kono mondai o zutto kangaete kita.
English: I have been thinking about this problem for a long time.
Example #4
日本の文化は大きく変わってきた。
Furigana: にほん の ぶんか は おおきく かわってきた。
Romaji: Nihon no bunka wa ōkiku kawatte kita.
English: Japanese culture has changed significantly up to the present.
Example #5
最近、少しずつ日本語がわかってきた。
Furigana: さいきん、すこし ずつ にほんご が わかってきた。
Romaji: Saikin, sukoshi zutsu Nihongo ga wakatte kita.
English: Recently, I’ve gradually started to understand Japanese.
Example #6
これからもっと便利になってくるでしょう。
Furigana: これから もっと べんりに なってくる でしょう。
Romaji: Korekara motto benri ni natte kuru deshō.
English: It will definitely become much more convenient from now on.
Example #7
夕方になると、涼しくなってくる。
Furigana: ゆうがた に なると、すずしく なってくる。
Romaji: Yūgata ni naru to, suzushiku natte kuru.
English: When evening comes, it starts getting cooler.
Example #8
風邪が治ってきて、元気になってきた。
Furigana: かぜ が なおってきて、げんき に なってきた。
Romaji: Kaze ga naotte kite, genki ni natte kita.
English: My cold is getting better, and I’m starting to feel energetic.
Example #9
彼女はまだ家に帰ってこない。
Furigana: かのじょ は まだ いえ に かえってこない。
Romaji: Kanojo wa mada ie ni kaette konai.
English: She still hasn’t come back home.
Example #10
昔の写真を持ってきてください。
Furigana: むかし の しゃしん を もってきて ください。
Romaji: Mukashi no shashin o motte kite kudasai.
English: Please bring the old photos here.
Notes & Nuances
📌 Important Points
Directionality is Key
Remember that くる always implies movement toward the speaker’s current location or viewpoint. In the example, the teacher moved *toward* the observer (the speaker).
Example: 先生が教室に入ってきた。(Sensei ga kyōshitsu ni haitte kita.)
Contrast with Vていく (Te Iku)
Vてくる contrasts directly with Vていく, which means the action or change moves *away* from the speaker or progresses *into* the future. Understanding this contrast is crucial.
Example: これからも日本語の勉強を続けていくつもりです。(Korekara mo Nihongo no benkyō o tsuzukete iku tsumori desu.)
Action and Return (Go-and-Return function)
When indicating ‘going somewhere and coming back,’ the focus is on the completion of the action (V) and the return. This is crucial for distinguishing it from simply ‘V-ing while coming.’
Example: 本を読んできてから、質問してください。(Hon o yonde kite kara, shitsumon shite kudasai.)
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❌ *買ってくる (Katta kuru)
✅ Instead of ‘もってきました’, use ‘もってきました’. (Using only ‘kuru’ for bringing, without the Te-form.)
Learners sometimes forget the Te-form structure and simply use the target verb + くる (e.g., *買ったくる). The structure must be V-te form + くる.
❌ Using Vてくる when describing a static, finished state.
✅ 今は暖かくなっています。(Ima wa atatakaku natte imasu.) (If the change is already complete or just a current state)
Using Vてくる emphasizes the process or gradual change leading up to the present. If you want to state a current, static result of a past action, Vてある/Vている might be more appropriate, depending on the context.
🏛️ Cultural Context
Politeness Level: The politeness level is determined by the conjugation of くる (e.g., きます for polite, こない/くる for plain). The pattern itself is neutral.
Social Situations: Widely used in all social settings, from asking a subordinate to bring something (持ってきてください) to discussing long-term personal efforts (頑張ってきた).
Regional Variations: The core pattern is standard across all regions. In some Kansai dialects, specific verbs might replace the function of ‘go and come back.’
🔍 Subtle Differences
Vてくる (Te Kuru) vs. Vている (Te Iru)
Vてくる focuses on the process of change leading up to the present or an action that involved leaving and returning. Vている focuses on an ongoing action or the resulting state of a completed action.
When to use: Use Vてくる when emphasizing that an action or state has been developing *over time* or when describing a round trip (go and return).
Vてくる (Go and Return) vs. Vに行く (Go to V)
Vてくる includes the return trip and the completion of the task. Vに行く only indicates the action of going out to do something, without specifying the return.
When to use: Use Vてくる when you are expected to return immediately after completing the action.
📝 Conjugation Notes
The verb くる (to come) is an irregular verb (カ変 – kahen). Its conjugations (きて, きます, きた, こない, きません) must be used after the preceding verb’s Te-form. The preceding verb’s Te-form is fixed.
🔊 Pronunciation Tips
Ensure the ‘kuru’ part is pronounced clearly, especially when conjugating to the polite form ‘kimasu’ (きます) and the negative ‘konai’ (こない). There is a slight pause or connection between the Te-form and ‘kuru’.
🧠 Memory Tips
Think of the ‘coming’ (くる) part as an arrow pointing to the present moment or the speaker. If the process starts in the past and moves to the present, it’s Vてくる. If you leave and return (a round trip), you’ve “come back” (きて).
Other Grammar
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