来 — Kanji Reference

来 (come): 7 strokes, JLPT N5. On: ライ. Kun: く-る、き-たる.

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来

Property Value
Meaning come
Strokes 7
JLPT Level N5
On-reading (音読み) ライ
Kun-reading (訓読み) く-る、き-たる
Radical 木 (Tree, U+6728)

Stroke Order

The stroke order for 来 follows standard rules: horizontal strokes before vertical, and top-to-bottom.

  1. Stroke 1: Horizontal stroke at the top.
  2. Stroke 2: Vertical stroke in the center (the "trunk").
  3. Stroke 3: Left diagonal stroke.
  4. Stroke 4: Right diagonal stroke.
  5. Stroke 5: Horizontal stroke (the base of the tree).
  6. Stroke 6: Left-to-right diagonal stroke (the "wheat" ear).
  7. Stroke 7: Right-to-left diagonal stroke (the "wheat" ear).

Radical Analysis

The radical is 木 (ki), meaning "tree." Historically, this kanji is a pictograph of a wheat plant. The top part represents the ears of grain, the middle is the stalk, and the bottom is the roots. Over time, the meaning shifted to "come," likely because the arrival of the wheat harvest was a significant seasonal event.

Mnemonic

Imagine a tree (木) standing in the middle of a field. Two stalks of wheat (the top and side strokes) are leaning toward the tree, as if they have come to visit it for shade.

On-readings (音読み) with Examples

ライ (rai)

Word Reading Romaji English
来年 らいねん rainen next year
来月 らいげつ raigetsu next month
来週 らいしゅう raishuu next week
将来 しょうらい shourai future

Kun-readings (訓読み) with Examples

く-る (ku-ru)

Word Reading Romaji English
来る くる kuru to come
持ってくる もってくる mottekuru to bring

き-たる (ki-taru)

Word Reading Romaji English
来たる きたる kitaru to arrive/coming (formal)

JLPT N5 Words Using 来

Word Reading Romaji English JLPT
来る くる kuru to come N5
来年 らいねん rainen next year N5
来月 らいげつ raigetsu next month N5
来週 らいしゅう raishuu next week N5
来日 らいにち rainichi visit to Japan N4
将来 しょうらい shourai future N4
来客 らいきゃく raikyaku visitor/guest N3
以来 いらい irai since then N3

Example Sentences

Japanese Reading Romaji English
明日、友達が来る。 あした、ともだちがくる。 Ashita, tomodachi ga kuru. A friend is coming tomorrow.
来年、日本へ行きます。 らいねん、にほんへいきます。 Rainen, Nihon e ikimasu. I will go to Japan next year.
彼は将来、医者になりたい。 かれはしょうらい、いしゃになりたい。 Kare wa shourai, isha ni naritai. He wants to become a doctor in the future.
来週の月曜日は休みです。 らいしゅうのげつようびはやすみです。 Raishuu no getsuyoubi wa yasumi desu. Next Monday is a day off.
傘を持ってきてください。 かさをもってきてください。 Kasa o motte kite kudasai. Please bring an umbrella.
卒業以来、会っていない。 そつぎょういらい、あっていない。 Sotsugyou irai, atte inai. We haven't met since graduation.

Common Confusion Pairs

Kanji Reading Meaning How to distinguish
来 ライ Come Has the "wheat" ears on top and sides.
米 ベイ Rice Looks like a star or a grain of rice; lacks the vertical stalk.
気 キ Spirit/Air The bottom part is different (〆/x shape) and it has a top lid.

Usage Frequency Note

来 is one of the most frequently used kanji in the Japanese language. It appears daily in speech (talking about schedules) and in written media (news, business correspondence). Because it is used to form "next [time period]" (来年, 来週), it is essential for basic communication.