行く (iku) means “to go,” and 来る (kuru) means “to come.”
Sounds simple, right?
But Japanese uses iku and kuru a little differently from English.
The easiest way to understand the difference is to think about where you are right now.
行く (iku) = moving away from where you are now
来る (kuru) = moving toward where you are now
This is why Japanese speakers sometimes use iku in situations where an English speaker would naturally say “I’m coming.”
Example Phrases
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Situation 1: Inviting someone to your house
A is at home and calls B to ask if B can come over tomorrow.
A:
明日うちに来る？
Ashita uchi ni kuru?
Are you coming to my house tomorrow?
B:
はい、明日行きます。
Hai, ashita ikimasu.
Yes, I’ll come tomorrow.
Notice that B says 行きます (ikimasu) — literally, “I’ll go” — even though in English we would naturally say, “I’ll come.”
Why?
For A, B is moving toward A, so A uses kuru.
For B, B is leaving their current location and going somewhere else, so B uses iku.
This difference in perspective is the key.
Situation 2: “Are you coming?”
A is already at the meeting spot and is waiting for B.
A:
来るの？
Kuru no?
Are you coming?
B:
行く。
Iku.
Yeah, I’m coming.
Again, English uses “coming,” but B uses iku in Japanese because B is moving away from where they are now.
Situation 3: Going to the same meeting
A and B are talking before an afternoon meeting. Neither of them is at the meeting location yet.
A:
午後のミーティング、行く？
Gogo no mītingu, iku?
Are you going to the afternoon meeting?
B:
行く。Aは？
Iku. A wa?
Yeah. How about you?
A:
行くよ。
Iku yo.
Yeah, I’m going.
In this case, both A and B use iku because they are both moving from where they are now to another location.
Moto’s Tip
When deciding between iku and kuru, try not to translate “go” and “come” directly from English.
Instead, ask yourself:
Where am I right now, and which direction is the movement?
Moving away from where you are → 行く (iku)
Moving toward where you are → 来る (kuru)
Once you start thinking about the speaker’s location, the difference between iku and kuru becomes much easier to understand.
What about Iku vs Kaeru?
帰る (kaeru) is another word that can be confusing because it can also be translated as “go” in English.
But kaeru has a different idea: returning or going back to a place you consider your base, such as home.
→ Learn the difference between Iku and Kaeru
Updated: September 2026
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