Structure Legend
Structure
くる
Details
Part of Speech
Verb
Word Type
Independent Word
Register
Standard
品詞
動詞
単語の種類
自立語
使用域
一般
About くる
来る is one of only two verbs in Japanese that do not follow the standard rules of conjugation for Godan and Ichidan verbs. The other primary verb being する. 来る means 'to come', or 'to be coming'.
The reason that 来る is called a か-column irregular conjugation verb in Japanese is because the る in 来る does not conjugate, but is dropped. This leaves the く being the part that conjugates. Because of this, 来る has qualities of both る-Verbs (the る being dropped), and う-Verbs (the remaining く changing depending on the conjugation). Here are some examples of how 来る changes.
(き)た, (く)る, (こ)ない
来る will often be seen as 来ている when someone has come to a place and remains there. This is due to ている meaning 'to exist in the state of an action', rather than being exactly the same as '(A)~ing' in English. Because of this, 来ている can mean either 'to be somewhere that one has come', or 'to be coming'.
- お前もパーティーに来る?Will you come to the party too?
- サヤの家に来ている。I have come to Saya's house. (I'm at Saya's house now)
The reason that 来る is called a か-column irregular conjugation verb in Japanese is because the る in 来る does not conjugate, but is dropped. This leaves the く being the part that conjugates. Because of this, 来る has qualities of both る-Verbs (the る being dropped), and う-Verbs (the remaining く changing depending on the conjugation). Here are some examples of how 来る changes.
(き)た, (く)る, (こ)ない
来る will often be seen as 来ている when someone has come to a place and remains there. This is due to ている meaning 'to exist in the state of an action', rather than being exactly the same as '(A)~ing' in English. Because of this, 来ている can mean either 'to be somewhere that one has come', or 'to be coming'.
- 今、駅に来ている。I have come to the station. (I am at the station now)
- カナは駅に来ている?Is Kana coming to the station? (Is Kana on her way to the station now?)
Caution
来ている (for existing at a place) is only used for places that people 'temporarily' go, so will not be used when you are at your home/work.Synonyms
Examples
トムはここに来る。
Tom will come here.
バスが来る。
The bus will come.
彼はバスで来ます。
He will come by bus.
友達も来ますか。
Will your friend come too?
明日来ます。
I will come tomorrow.
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Conjugations of「くる」
Japanese Language Guide
Special uses of「くる」
Self Taught Japanese
Offline
Genki I
Page 59
Genki I 2nd Edition
Page 89
みんなの日本語 I
Page 38 [CH 5]
[DBJG] A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar
Page 219
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くる – Grammar Discussion
Most Recent Replies (5 in total)
Johnathan-Weir
About 5 years ago
Okay, I see. We let the でしょう make it formal.
mrnoone
About 5 years ago
Btw, I love your avatar
Johnathan-Weir
About 5 years ago
ありがとうございます😊
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