Talk about coming, going, and doing

Easy Come, Easy Go


In this Topic, we're going to 'get moving'. We will learn more about three essential verbs in the Japanese language. ()く 'to go', ()る 'to come', and する 'to do'. We will also be introduced to a new particle, へ, which indicates the direction that something is heading in.

We'll see how ()く and ()る work as a complimentary pair and, despite being common words, how ()く, ()る and する are irregular (and what exactly that means)!

このトピックに出てくる文法

今すぐ学習する
  • To, Toward

  • is a particle used when describing a place that someone or something is 'moving toward', or 'in contact with'. In many cases, the particles and are interchangeable, but there is a slight difference in meaning. focuses more on the distance/effort required to get between (A) and (B), while focuses more on the connection between (A) and (B). always comes after the noun signifying the destination.

    In these examples, while they may seem the same at first glance, shows that there is a space between (A) and (B), while puts the emphasis solely on the destination. This is why common expressions such as 'city/country name ようこそ' sound very polite. It is like saying 'Welcome, and we acknowledge your journey/effort to get here'.

    In the TV-show example, this commonly means 'thank you for your effort to watch this particular show, out of all the ones you could have chosen'.

    N5 文法

  • へいく

    To go to, To head toward

  • () is a common construction used when describing a place that someone/something is 'heading'. The particles and are mostly interchangeable, but there is a slight difference in meaning. has the nuance of 'going to', while has the nuance of 'heading to'.

    In these examples, while they may seem the same at first glance, focuses much more on the journey, while puts more emphasis on the destination. This is true for other uses of and as well. will always put more focus on the destination of an action, where will put more emphasis on the distance traveled/between the origin and destination.

    N5 文法

  • くる

    To come

  • () is one of only two main verbs in Japanese that do not follow the standard rules of conjugation for Godan and Ichidan verbs. The other primary verb being する. () means 'to come', or 'to be coming'.

    () will always have the particle or attached to the location that someone 'will come', or 'has come'.

    The reason that () is called a か-column irregular conjugation verb in Japanese is because the る in () 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 () changes.

    (き)た, (く)る, (こ)ない.

    () will often be seen as ()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, ()ている can mean either 'to be somewhere that one has come', or 'to be coming'.

    Sometimes the difference between these two will not be clear unless there is further context.

    Caution

    ()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.

    N5 文法

  • する

    To do, To make into

  • する verbs are one of only two main verbs in Japanese that do not follow the standard rules of conjugation for Godan and Ichidan verbs. The other primary verb being (). する means to do something, or to make something a certain way.

    する will almost always have the particle attached to the thing that is being done (depending on the form of the verb). The reason that する verbs are called さ-column irregular conjugation verbs in Japanese is because the る in する does not conjugate, but is dropped.

    This will leave す to be the part that conjugates. Because of this, する has qualities of both る-Verbs (the る being dropped), and う-Verbs (the remaining す changing, depending on the conjugation). Here are some examples of how する changes.

    (さ)せる, (し)ます, (す)る, (せ)よ.

    We will learn more about each of these conjugations of する, and their individual meanings at a later stage. For now, let's take a look at the polite します conjugation.

    In a broader sense, する can be thought of as meaning 'to do something that has an external effect'.

    N5 文法

詳細


Let's take a closer look at the logic and uses of the verbs we've just met!

Super Special する

As mentioned on its grammar page, we use を to mark the object when using する. However, there is also another special way that する can be used, by directly attaching certain nouns to する. This creates something that acts like a single verb. These words are often called 'する verbs'. When we do this, the noun stops being the object and becomes the action itself.

Note that this can only be done with certain nouns (those representing actions), so they're best remembered on a case by case basis.

Coming And Going

Next, let's look at ()く and ()る. These verbs are a pair that describe literal or abstract movement relative to a viewpoint (usually the speaker’s). Despite being easily translated as 'go' and 'come' in most cases, there are times where Japanese is much stricter about viewpoints.

That's Irregular

Finally, let's take a look at the conjugation charts for the irregular ()る and する.

くる
    • ない+です
    • ます

    • + …
    • + …

Irregular Verb

不規則動詞

する
    • ない+です
    • ます

    • + …

    • + …

    • + …

Irregular Verb

不規則動詞

Note: Although ()くcan act irregularly, it is only with the past form (which we will learn about in the next lesson!) and the て form (which we will learn about in the next chapter!).

They're Coming Today


    --:--

    太田(おおた)さん:「今月(こんげつ)はアメリカとイギリスとイタリアの留学生(りゅうがくせい)()ます。みんな日本(にほん)(はじ)めてです。」

    坂口(さかぐち)さん:「そうなんですね。じゃあ今月(こんげつ)京都(きょうと)()きますか?」

    太田(おおた)さん:「いいですね。京都(きょうと)神社(じんじゃ)やお(てら)(おお)いですよね。日本(にほん)勉強(べんきょう)ですね!」

    坂口(さかぐち)さん:「はい!大阪(おおさか)()きますか?大阪(おおさか)(たの)しい(まち)ですよね。」

    太田さん:「そうですね!その留学生(りゅうがくせい)はみんな(おんな)(ひと)なんです。大阪(おおさか)()(もの)をしますか?」

    坂口(さかぐち)さん:「いいですね!今日(きょう)午後(ごご)は、カナダと中国(ちゅうごく)とオーストラリアの留学生(りゅうがくせい)()ますよね。」

    太田(おおた)さん:「そうです。今日(きょう)神戸(こうべ)()きます。留学生(りゅうがくせい)のアパートを掃除(そうじ)します!」

    坂口(さかぐち)さん:「何時(なんじ)()ますか?」

    太田(おおた)さん:「みんな(ひる)(いち)()東京(とうきょう)()ます。」

    坂口(さかぐち)さん:「じゃあ(よる)(はん)神戸(こうべ)()べますか?」

    太田(おおた)さん:「(わたし)がアパートで料理(りょうり)をします!みんなに寿司(りょうり)(つく)りますよ!」

    坂口(さかぐち)さん:「ありがとうございます!」