Japanese symbol for “come”
来る
くる
Romaji: kuru
to come (spatially or temporally); to approach; to arrive
In Japanese, come is 来る, read くる (kuru).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- vi, vk to come (spatially or temporally); to approach; to arrive
- aux-v, vi, vk to come back; to do ... and come back
- aux-v, vi, vk to come to be; to become; to get; to grow; to continue
- vi, vk to come from; to be caused by; to derive from
- vi, vk to come to (e.g. "when it comes to spinach ...")
Written forms: 来る、來る. Readings: くる、クる.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “come”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 見える | みえる mieru | to come |
| さあ | さあ saa | come (on); come now; come along |
| いらっしゃい | いらっしゃい irasshai | come; go; stay |
| 運ぶ | はこぶ hakobu | to come; to go |
| さ | さ sa | come (on); come now; come along |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 未来 | みらい mirai | (distant) future |
| 出来る | できる dekiru | to be able to do; to be possible; to be permitted (to do) |
| 以来 | いらい irai | since; henceforth |
| 将来 | しょうらい shourai | future; (future) prospects |
| 本来 | ほんらい honrai | originally; primarily |
See also: Chinese symbol for “come”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.