How to tell them apart
The core contrast is the direction of change relative to the speaker's viewpoint. ていく describes a change that starts now and continues forward into the future, while てくる describes a change that has been happening up to now and is reaching the present moment. Swapping them shifts the timeline: 寒くなっていく means it will keep getting colder from now on, whereas 寒くなってきた means it has already been getting colder up to now.
- 行く・いく Use ていく when a change or action starts now and continues into the future.
- 来る・くる Use てくる when a change has been unfolding up to the present moment.
| Grammar point | Meaning | JLPT level |
|---|---|---|
| 行く・いく ku iku | Continue to; keep on; develop going forward | N3 |
| 来る・くる ru kuru | Arrive or head toward the speaker; begin to, come to be | N3 |
行く・いく ku iku
Continue to; keep on; develop going forward
V-te いく expresses that an action continues from now into the future or that a change gradually develops going forward. It attaches to the te-form of a verb, as in 勉強していく or 寒くなっていく, and it conjugates like 行く, including いきます, いこう, and いきたい for polite, volitional, and desire forms. In this continuative use it is usually written in hiragana, and it differs from motion 行く or the potential 生きていける meaning to make a living.
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この天気とは気長に付き合っていくしかない。
You have to learn to put up with this weather.
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年月を経て物事がどう変わっていくか見るのは面白そうだ。
It would be fun to see how things change over the years.
来る・くる ru kuru
Arrive or head toward the speaker; begin to, come to be
The auxiliary くる after a verb in て-form describes an action moving toward the speaker, as in 走ってくる or 持ってくる, or a change that starts and continues up to the present. It attaches to the て-form of the main verb, giving てくる for ongoing or future direction and てきた for a completed arrival or established change. In writing the auxiliary is normally in hiragana, and in casual speech てくる often shortens to てく.
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私たちのほうへ走ってくる少年はだれですか。
Who is that boy running toward us?
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昼食は持ってこなくてもいいよ。
You do not have to bring your lunch.
行く・いく and 来る・くる are both JLPT N3 grammar points that Japanese learners often mix up. This page compares them side by side on meanings, usage and example sentences, so you can tell them apart.