来 meaning in English
to come; (used as a substitute for a more specific verb)
Meaning of 来
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to come
- (used as a substitute for a more specific verb)
- hither (directional complement for motion toward the speaker, as in 回來|回来[hui2 lai5])
- ever since (as in 自古以來|自古以来[zi4 gu3 yi3 lai2])
- for the past (amount of time)
- (prefix) the coming ...; the next ... (as in 來世|来世[lai2 shi4])
- (between two verbs) in order to
- (after a round number) approximately
How to use 来
来 means to come toward the speaker, and it often follows another verb to show movement in your direction, as in 回来 (huílái) or 进来 (jìnlái). In these complements it is usually said in the neutral tone. Example: 你明天来我家吧。(Nǐ míngtiān lái wǒ jiā ba.) Come to my place tomorrow.
The traditional form 來 was drawn as a stalk of wheat, and 来 keeps that look: a tall plant with a crossbar and two little ears of grain. Picture the harvest coming in from the fields toward you, and you have 来 (lái), to come.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 来 (lái) and 去 (qù). 来 is movement toward the speaker and 去 is movement away, so 你来吗 asks if someone is coming here, not going there. Also do not confuse 来 with 米 (mǐ, rice), which has no long horizontal top stroke.
来 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
来 lái · to come · 7 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 来.
| 回来 | huílái | to return; to come back |
| 起来 | qǐlái | to stand up; to get up; also pr. [qi3lai2] |
| 出来 | chūlái | to come out; to appear |
| 进来 | jìnlái | to come in |
| 来到 | láidào | to arrive; to come |
| 过来 | guòlái | to come over; to manage |
| 带来 | dàilái | to bring; (fig.) to bring about; to produce |
| 来自 | láizì | to come from (a place); From: (in email header) |
| 原来 | yuánlái | original; former; originally; formerly; at first |
| 后来 | hòulái | afterwards; later; newly arrived |
| 接下来 | jiē xiàlái | to accept; to take |
| 越来越 | yuè lái yuè | more and more |
Questions about 来
What does 来 mean?
来 (lái) means "to come; (used as a substitute for a more specific verb)" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 来?
来 is made of 1 character: 来 (7 strokes). That is 7 strokes in total.
Is 来 an HSK word?
Yes. 来 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 来 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 来 is written 來.
What does 来 mean when you order food, like 来一杯咖啡?
Here 来 replaces a more specific verb such as 'give me' or 'bring'. 来一杯咖啡 (lái yì bēi kāfēi) means 'I'll have a cup of coffee.' It is casual and very common in restaurants.
How does 来 mean 'about' with numbers?
Placed after a round number, 来 means approximately. 十来个人 (shí lái ge rén) means about ten people, and 二十来岁 (èrshí lái suì) means around twenty years old.