“〜te kuru vs 〜te iku”: Directional Sense [JLPT N4]
Content by NTJ Kuma · Nihongo to Japan editorial team · Updated July 27, 2026
「寒くなってきた」vs「寒くなっていく」 — a change moving toward now, or off into the future.
「暖かくなってきた」 vs 「暖かくなっていく」 — change moving in different directions
「だんだん暖かくなってきた」 (it's gradually gotten warmer) vs 「これから暖かくなっていく」 (it'll gradually get warmer from now) — 「(て-form) ＋ くる／いく」 adds direction to an action or change: てくる = toward “me／now” (approaching, appearing, change up to now); ていく = toward “away／the future” (departing, change from now on). This guide sorts this super-useful directional pair by “coming to me vs going from me.”
Core: てくる (toward me／up to now) vs ていく (away／into the future)
- てくる = toward me, approaching, appearing, change “up to now”: 雨が降ってきた (it's started to rain = appearing); 暖かくなってきた (it's gotten warmer, up to now).
- ていく = away from me, receding, change “from now on”: 鳥が飛んでいった (the bird flew away = receding); 暖かくなっていく (it'll get warmer from now).
Test: toward me, up to now → てくる; away from me, into the future → ていく.
How to Connect
| Form | Direction | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜てくる | toward me／up to now | 降ってきた |
| 〜ていく | away from me／into the future | 飛んでいった （flew away） |
| 〜てくる (appearing) | arise, appear | お腹がすいてきた （I've started to get hungry） |
| 〜ていく (continuing) | continue onward | 続けていく |
See it in context
- 最近、だんだん暖かくなってきた。(It's gradually gotten warmer lately.) — change up to now
- これから少しずつ上手になっていくでしょう。(You'll gradually get better from now.) — change into the future
- 急に雨が降ってきた。(It suddenly started raining.) — appearing
- 子供が走っていった。(The child ran off.) — receding
- お腹がすいてきた。(I'm getting hungry.) — a feeling appearing
⚠️ Common mistakes to avoid
① てくる vs ていく are opposite directions. 帰ってくる (come back, toward me) vs 帰っていく (go back, away); 持ってくる (bring) vs 持っていく (take). Reverse the direction and you reverse the meaning.
② 「〜てきた」 for change = up to now. 「暖かくなってきた」 = (gradually) gotten warm up to now; 「暖かくなっていく」 = will get warm from now on. Time direction: てきた looks back, ていく looks ahead.
③ 「てくる」 also marks “appearing／arising.” 雨が降ってきた (it started raining), お腹がすいてきた (getting hungry), 分かってきた (gradually understanding) — a state “starting to appear” also takes てくる.
🔄 Compare with similar forms: てくる／ていく (space・time・appearing)
| Form | Direction／time | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜てくる (space) | toward me | 持ってくる |
| 〜ていく (space) | away from me | 持っていく |
| 〜てくる (time) | change up to now | 増えてきた |
| 〜ていく (time) | change into the future | 増えていく |
💡 The one thing to remember
Everything about てくる／ていく revolves around one origin: “me (now).” くる = toward me, up to now; いく = away from me, from now on. Spatially 「持ってくる (bring)／持っていく (take)」, temporally 「増えてきた (increased up to now)／増えていく (will increase)」 — all run on this origin. One more super-useful point: 「〜てくる」 marks “a state starting to appear” (雨が降ってきた, お腹がすいてきた, 慣れてきた). Anchor on “me as the origin” and directions never tangle.
❓ Quick FAQ
Q: 「寒くなってきた」 vs 「寒くなっていく」?
Opposite time directions! 「寒くなってきた」 = (gradually) gotten cold up to now (looking back to this moment); 「寒くなっていく」 = will get colder from now on (looking ahead). てきた = “change up to now,” ていく = “change going forward.”
Q: What does 「雨が降ってきた」 mean?
“It's started to rain” — here 「てくる」 marks a phenomenon starting to appear (it wasn't raining, now it is). Similar: お腹がすいてきた (getting hungry), 眠くなってきた (getting sleepy). That “from nothing to something, starting to appear” feel takes てくる.
🖊️ Practice Quiz
Q1. 「最近暖かく___た。」(it's gradually gotten warm — past to present)
(A) なってき (B) なってい (C) なりき (D) なっておい
Q2. 「これから少しずつ上手になって___だろう。」(will get better — present to future)
(A) いく (B) くる (C) きた (D) おく
Q3. What's the difference between 「寒くなってきた」 and 「寒くなっていく」?
(A) identical
(B) てきた = change from past to present; ていく = change from present to future (prediction)
(C) てきた is positive; ていく is negative
(D) only the connection differs
Q4. What does 「雨が降ってきた」 mean?
(A) the rain stopped
(B) it's started to rain (from none to some, approaching now)
(C) it'll rain later
(D) it rained all day
Q5. In 「走っていった」, what does 「いく」 mean?
(A) ran here (toward the speaker)
(B) ran off (away from the speaker, leaving)
(C) waited while running
(D) started running
Answer Key
1. (A) なってき ── 暖かくなってきた = has gradually become warm (past → present).
2. (A) いく ── なっていく = will become (present → future).
3. (B) ── てきた = change from past to present; ていく = change from present to future.
4. (B) ── 降ってきた = it's started to rain (from none to some, approaching now).
5. (B) ── ていく = moving away from the speaker: 走っていった = ran off.
The Three Uses at a Glance
| Use | 〜てくる | 〜ていく |
|---|---|---|
| Spatial movement | come / approach (買ってくる = go buy and return) | go / away (持っていく = take along) |
| Temporal change | past → present (寒くなってきた) | present → future (寒くなっていく) |
| Appearance / disappearance | appear (出てくる) | disappear (消えていく) |
Common Mistakes (Quick Reference)
| Mistake | Issue | Correct |
|---|---|---|
| 暖かくなっていく (when you already feel it) | you already sense the change → use くる | 暖かくなってきた （it's been getting warmer） |
| 弁当を買っていきました (to mean "bring back") | that means "buy and take away"; for "bring back" | 弁当を買ってきました （I bought a bento and brought it back） |