6.4: Come and Go

 

The verbs 来（く）る (kuru: to come) and 行（い）く (iku: to go) are among the most frequently used verbs in Japanese. In this module, we will explore their usage, some aspects of which differ from their English counterparts.

Understanding how to use 来（く）る and 行（い）く in Japanese can be straightforward once you get the hang of it, as they mostly align with their English counterparts.

For example, if you want to say ‘the bus is coming’ politely, you would use the ます-form of 来る, which is 来ます (ki masu), as follows:

バス（ばす）が来（き）ます。

Basu ga ki masu.

The bus is coming.

 

Note that the particle が is used instead of the particle は, since the emphasis is placed on バス (bus) rather than 来ます (comes).

If you want to say ‘the bus is going’ politely, you would use the ます-form of 行（い）く, which is 行きます (iki masu), as follows:

バスが行きます。

Basu ga iki masu.

The bus is going.

 

 

So, Japanese functions similarly to English, but this is only the case when the speaker and listener have the same perspective regarding movement.

In other words, this means that different rules apply in Japanese when their perspectives regarding movement differ!

---

Imagine that you and your friend are at each other’s homes. In English, if your friend asks you to come to their place, you’d simply say, ‘I’m coming’. So, you might think to use 来（く）る to express the same thing in Japanese, and say: 来（き）ます.

However, that’s not the case! Instead of saying 来ます, you would say:

行きます。

Iki masu.

I’m coming.

 

Here’s where perspectives matter.

The basic rule is:

• Use 来る when you are talking about something or someone coming (back) to your current location.
• Use 行く when you are talking about something or someone moving away from your current location.

 

And the ‘someone’ can even be you, the speaker!

In the example above, you say 行きます because you, as the speaker, are talking about yourself moving away from where you are now and going towards where your friend is.

 

However, if you and your friend are in the same location and your friend asks you whether you are coming back to where you both are now tomorrow, you would use 来（く）る and say:

はい、来（き）ます。

Hai, ki masu.

Yes, I’m coming.

 

So, it is all about perspective –  considering where you are and where you are going. Once you grasp this concept, these two verbs become a lot more manageable!

---

For further detail, please watch the following video (about 4 minutes long) created by Shiro Neko Japanese useful to reinforce your understanding of how to use 来ます (the ます form of 来る) and 行きます (the ます form of 行く):

One or more interactive elements has been excluded from this version of the text. You can view them online here: https://oercollective.caul.edu.au/japanese/?p=890#oembed-1

 

 

Exercise 1

Query \(\PageIndex{1}\)

Query \(\PageIndex{2}\)

Query \(\PageIndex{3}\)

Query \(\PageIndex{4}\)

 

References

Shiro Neko Japanese. “Japanese [#3-4] [GENKI L3]—I’ll Come (kimasu) or I’ll Go (ikimasu)?” YouTube video, 4:24. December 1, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpKPOrjuMcg.