3.17 ～てくる・～ていく — Directional Actions

AI-generated

Overview

Learn how ～てくる and ～ていく add a sense of direction, movement, or change over time to actions. These patterns appear constantly in natural Japanese and mark an important step toward fluency.

Literal movement: going and coming

In their most literal use, ～ていく means doing something as you go (away from here), and ～てくる means doing something as you come back (toward here).

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I'll buy a coffee and go (on my way out).

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I'll buy something at the convenience store and come back.

Change moving forward in time (～ていく)

～ていく describes something that continues to change or move forward into the future. It conveys an ongoing trend or progression.

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It's going to get colder and colder from now on.

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My Japanese will keep getting better.

Change coming toward now (～てくる)

～てくる describes something that has been changing and has now reached this point. It looks backward from the present.

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It has gradually gotten warmer (and now it's warm).

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I've started to understand Japanese a bit.

Doing something and returning

～てくる is also used for actions completed before returning:

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I'm going for a quick run (and I'll be back).

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I had a shower (and now I'm back).

Dialogue

あAきごう：どこへいく行くんですか。 bBきごう：こんびにコンビニへいってきます行ってきます。なんか何かかって買ってきましょうか。

あAきごう：さいきん最近、にほんご日本語はどうですか。 bBきごう：だんだんわかってきました。

あAきごう：これからどうなりますか。 bBきごう：もっとたいへん大変になっていくとおもいます思います。

A: Where are you going? B: I'm going to the convenience store and coming back. Shall I buy anything?

A: How is your Japanese lately? B: I've gradually started to understand it.

A: What will happen from now on? B: I think it will keep getting harder.

New words

3.16 ～ておく — Do in Advance

4.1 Comparison

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