〜ていく / てくる

JLPT N4 Japanese self-study　·　~12 min　·　Direction of change — moving away / coming toward

'It's gradually getting darker.' 'He went away.' 〜ていく (moving away/future) and 〜てくる (coming toward/past up to now) add direction to actions.

What you'll learn

• 〜ていく: action continues moving away / into the future
• 〜てくる: action continues toward now / has been happening
• 持っていく vs 持ってくる: take away vs bring here

How to study “〜ていく / てくる”

“〜ていく / てくる” (Direction of change — moving away / coming toward) is a JLPT N4 chapter of our free Japanese self-study course, about 12 min. You learn by doing — flashcard drills and fill-in-the-blank quizzes graded on the spot — completely free, with no sign-up and no ad wall. Once it clicks, read the matching in-depth explainer over in Grammar.