来
来 — Come
come, due, next, cause, become
On’yomiライ (rai)
On’yomiタイ (tai)
Kun’yomiくる (kuru)
Kun’yomiきたる (kitaru)
Kun’yomiきたす (kitasu)
Kun’yomiきたす (kitasu)
Kun’yomiきたる (kitaru)
Stroke order (7 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 来
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 以来 | いらい irai | since; henceforth; ever since |
| 従来 | じゅうらい juurai | up to now; so far; traditional |
| 将来 | しょうらい shourai | future; (future) prospects; bringing (from abroad, another region, etc.) |
| 来年 | らいねん rainen | next year |
| 本来 | ほんらい honrai | originally; primarily; essentially |
| 来月 | らいげつ raigetsu | next month |
Study notes
来 is a JLPT N5 kanji written with 7 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 2), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #102 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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