Describe movement toward the speaker or another reference point. The examples use polite speech in everyday situations.

The idea

This verb is irregular: くる becomes きます, きません, きました and きて. Notice the change from く to き. Use に or へ for the destination. A reference point may be the speaker’s present or expected location; きています can describe someone who has arrived and is still there.

Patterns to compare
Dictionary formPolite non-pastPolite negativePolite pastて form
来くる来きます来きません来きました来きて

Examples

  • 明日あした、友達ともだちがうちに来きます。A friend is coming to my home tomorrow.
  • 田中たなかさんは今日きょう、学校がっこうに来きません。Tanaka is not coming to school today.
  • 昨日きのう、母ははがうちに来きました。My mother came to my home yesterday.
  • 弟おとうとが電車でんしゃでここに来きます。My younger brother is coming here by train.
  • 土曜日どようびにうちへ来きてください。Please come to my home on Saturday.
  • 先生せんせいはもう教室きょうしつに来きています。The teacher has already arrived in the classroom.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

Do not keep the く reading in きます or きて. Unlike English “come”, the choice depends on the Japanese speaker’s or another relevant viewpoint.

Try it yourself

  1. あした、友達ともだちがうちに＿。（来くる→ます）

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    来ます

    来きます is the polite non-past of 来くる; context tells whether it refers to a habit or the future.

  2. あした、うちへ＿ください。（来くる→て）

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    来て

    来きて is the て form of 来くる. Before ください it forms a polite request.

  3. 友達ともだちがうち＿来きます。（に／を）

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    に

    に marks the destination of the movement; を is not the destination marker here.

Use it today

Invite a friend to your home on a day you choose, then say who came yesterday. Check the particles and verb forms against the examples.