N4 Compound Verbs and Change

~ていく/〜てくる: meaning, usage and examples

~ていく/〜てくる means: change over time (away from / toward the present).

Updated 9 November 2026 · By the My Senpai team · Spotted a mistake? Tell us

Examples

1. あの歌手かしゅの人気にんきは、これからもっと上あがっていくだろう。

   That singer's popularity will keep rising.

2. だんだん寒さむくなってきましたね。

   It has gradually gotten colder, hasn't it?

3. 日本語にほんごの勉強べんきょうが楽たのしくなってきました。

   Studying Japanese has been getting more fun.

4. この町まちの子こどもの数かずは、これから減へっていくでしょう。

   The number of children in this town will probably keep going down.

When to use it

With verbs of change like なる, 増ふえる, or 変かわる, てくる shows a change that has been happening up to now: 寒さむくなってきた (it has been getting colder). ていく shows a change that will continue from now into the future: これから人ひとが増ふえていく (more and more people will come). Think of the present moment as the center point.

Nuance

Very common in casual and polite speech. てくる often expresses a change you have just noticed: 雨あめが降ふってきた (it has started raining), おなかがすいてきた. ていく often sounds like a prediction, so it pairs with これから, もっと, and だんだん. いく and くる are written in hiragana here.

Compare

Change over time vs movement (~てくる for errands): 本ほんを買かってくる means "go buy a book and come back"; someone moves. 暑あつくなってきた has no movement; it means "it has gotten hotter." If nobody goes anywhere, it is about time. ていく vs てくる: 増ふえてきた looks back up to now; 増ふえていく looks forward.

Tip: Picture a timeline: てくる arrives at now from the past, and ていく leaves now for the future. だんだん works with both.