N4 Purpose & Change

~てくる: meaning, usage and examples

~てくる means: get..., come to...

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

Examples

1. ちょっと買かい物ものに行いってきます。

   I'm going shopping (and coming back).

2. 雨あめが降ふってきました。

   It has started raining.

3. コンビニで飲のみ物ものを買かってきます。

   I will go buy a drink at the convenience store and come back.

4. 日本語にほんごの勉強べんきょうがおもしろくなってきました。

   Studying Japanese has started to get interesting.

When to use it

てくる has three main uses. (1) Go, do something and come back: 飲のみ物ものを買かってきます (I will go buy a drink and come back). (2) Movement toward the speaker: 犬いぬが走はしってきた. (3) A change that has started or has continued up to now: 寒さむくなってきました (It has started getting cold), 雨あめが降ふってきました.

Nuance

行いってきます is the set phrase for leaving home. For changes, てきた shows the change reaching the present moment, often a gradual one. くる after the て-form is usually written in hiragana.

Compare

てくる vs ていく: てくる is toward the speaker or up to now (今いままで日本語にほんごを勉強べんきょうしてきた); ていく is away from the speaker or from now on (これからも勉強べんきょうしていく). Errands: 買かってくる (buy and come back) vs 買かっていく (buy and take it along).

Tip: Use ～てきます when leaving to do a quick errand: トイレに行いってきます, ちょっと買かってきます. It tells people you will be back.