Japanese Grammar Bank

GRADUAL CHANGE IN JAPANESE

We teach you how to express gradual change in Japanese. There are two key expressions for this – ～てくる and ～ていく.

These expressions give depth to your Japanese. Let’s learn how to use them to express a gradual process that takes place over time.

HOW TO USE てくる

〜てくる is theて form verb with 来る(to come) attached.

However the meaning of 来る is not very literal in this context, so, it is more common to write it in hiragana, not kanji.

～てくる describe changes or movements getting closer to you or your point of reference.

Simply put, it emphasizes the change up to now.

Let’s see the patterns of use and example sentences to get an idea of how to use them in our daily conversation.

PATTERN

Verb (て form) + くる

JapaneseRomajiEnglish
日が昇るにつれて、徐々に地平線が見えてきました。Hi ga noboru ni tsurete, jojo ni chiheisen ga miete kimashita.Horizon gradually became visible as the sun rose.
もうすぐ雪が降ってくるかもしれません。Mousugu yuki ga hutte kuru kamo shire masen.It may start snowing soon.
彼は歩いてくるそうです。Kare wa aruite kuru sou desu.It seems like he will be coming by walking.
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先生の説明を聞いてだんだん理解してきました。Sensei no setsumei wo kiite, dandan rikai shite kimashita.I have come to understand gradually after hearing an explanation from my teacher.
新幹線から富士山が見えてきました。Shinkansen kara Fujisan ga miete kimashita.Mt. Fuji started to become more visible from inside the bullet train.
冬が近づいてきました。Fuyu ga chikaduite kimashita.It seems like winter is approaching.

WITH ADJECTIVES

For adjectives, you often need to combine an adjective and the verb なる with 〜てくる.

With い-adjective, you need to turn it into the く form to attach it to なる. So the pattern will look like 〜くなってくる.

PATTERN

い adjective (く form) + なってくる

With な-adjective, you need to connect it with なる by adding the particle に between them. So the pattern will look like 〜になってくる.

PATTERN

な adjective + に + なってくる

JapaneseRomajiEnglish
だんだん暑くなってきました。Dandan atsuku natte kimashita.It’s been getting hotter these days.
彼女ができて心の底から嬉しくなってきます。Kanojo ga dekite kokoro no soko kara ureshiI am getting so happy from the bottom of my heart because I got a girlfriend.
この映画はここからがおもしろくなってくる。Kono eiga wa koko kara ga omoshiroku natte kuru.This is where it gets more exciting in this movie.
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japaneseromajienglish
マイクさんは最近日本語がとても上手になってきました。Maiku san wa saikin nihongo ga totemo jouzu ni natte kimashita.Mike’s Japanese has been very much improving recently.
甥は10代になってハンサムになってきた。Oi wa 10 dai ni natte hansamu ni natte kita.My nephew started to be handsome when he became a teenager.
たくさん練習してピアノが上手になってきました。Takusan renshuu shite piano ga jouzu ni natte kimashita.I became good at playing piano after a lot of practice.

HOW TO USE ていく

The grammar rule of ~ていく is very similar to ～てくる.

〜ていく is て form verb with 行く(to go) attached. But again, the meaning of 行く is not very literal in this context.

〜ていく indicates a movement away from the speaker, and it focuses on the continuing change into the future.

PATTERN

Verb (て form) + いく

Let’s see some example sentences.

JapaneseRomajiEnglish
飛行機が飛んで行きました。Hikouki ga tonde iki mashita.The airplane flew away.
台風がすごいスピードで過ぎ去っていきました。Taihuu ga sugoi supiido de sugisatte iki mashita.The typhoon has passed very quickly.
体重がどんどん増えていきそうです。Taijuu ga dondon huete iki sou desu.I guess my weight will keep increasing.
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japaneseromajienglish
この世界のありさまはますます変わっていくでしょう。Kono sekai no arisama wa masumasu kawatte iku deshou.The scene of this world will continue to change even more in the future.
父は駅に走っていきました。Chichi wa eki ni hashitte iki mashita.My father ran to train station.
この地域も観光客が増えていくと思います。Kono chiiki mo kankoukyaku ga huete iku to omoi masu.I think the number of tourists in this area will continue to increase in the future.

ADJECTIVES

With い-adjective, you need to turn it into the く form to attach it to なる. So the pattern will look like 〜くなっていく.

PATTERN

い adjective (く form) + なっていく

With な-adjective, you need to connect it with なる by adding the particle に between them. So the pattern will look like 〜になっていく.

PATTERN

な adjective + に + なっていく

Examples:

JapaneseRomajiEnglish
だんだん暑くなっていきます。Dandan atsuku natte ikimasu.It’s going to be hotter soon.
このドラマはおもしろくなっていきます。Kono dorama wa omoshiroku natte ikimasu.This drama will become more interesting in the near future.
年末に向けて忙しくなっていきます。Nenmatsu ni mukete isogashiku natte ikimasu.I will get busier towards the end of the year.
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japaneseromajienglish
練習すれば日本語が上手になっていきますRenshuu sureba nihongo ga jouzu ni natte iki masu.You will become fluent in Japanese with a lot of practice.
町は便利になっていきます。Machi wa benri ni natte iki masu.This town will become more convenient.
あの歌手は将来もっと有名になっていきます。Ano kashu wa shourai motto yuumei ni natte iki masu.That singer will become more famous in the future.

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FAQs

What difference between てくる and ていく?

てくる indicates a change or action that starts and continues towards the present, while ていく expresses a change or action that will continue into the future or move away from the speaker’s current state.

Can てくる and ていく be used with all verbs?

Yes, but they are most commonly used with verbs that describe actions or changes that unfold over time, such as 増える (to increase) or 減る (to decrease).

How to form a sentence with てくる or ていく?

Attach the て form of the verb to くる (for actions coming towards the present) or いく (for actions moving forward).

For example, 温度が上がってきた。(The temperature has been rising) or 人口が減っていくでしょう。(The population will continue to decrease).

Can てくる & ていく be used in the negative?

Yes, you can negate them by using the negative conjugation of くる or いく.

For example, 彼は戻ってこない。(He has not come back) or 状況は良くなっていかない。(The situation will not improve).

Where to find more Japanese lessons?

We regularly publish free Japanese lessons on our Japanese Grammar Bank.

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