
How to Use 〜に行く in Japanese
One of the most useful grammar patterns for talking about plans and activities in Japanese is 〜に行く, which means “to go (somewhere) to do (something).” This pattern is commonly used to express when you’re going somewhere with the purpose of doing an activity.
For example:
- 店に買い物に行く → Go to the store to shop
- 海へ泳ぎに行く → Go to the beach to swim
Let’s break it down and learn how to use this pattern properly.
Structure: How to Form 〜に行く
The basic structure of 〜に行く follows this pattern:
[Destination] に/へ [Verb (Stem)] に行く/来る/帰る
There are two main components:
- Destination of movement (marked by に or へ)
- Purpose of movement (verb stem + に)
1. Using a Noun + に/へ Verb Stem に 行く
When using a noun that represents the place, attach に or へ to indicate the destination, then add the verb stem + に行く.
Examples:
- 居酒屋に飲みに行く → Go to an izakaya to drink
- 公園へ散歩に行く → Go to the park to take a walk
2. Using 〜に来る (Come to do something)
If the movement is towards the speaker’s current location, replace 行く with 来る.
Examples:
- うちに遊びに来る → Come to my house to hang out
- 日本に日本語を勉強しに来る → Come to Japan to study Japanese
3. Using 〜に帰る (Return to do something)
If you’re returning somewhere with a specific purpose, replace 行く with 帰る.
Examples:
- 家に昼ごはんを食べに帰る → Return home to eat lunch
- 家に忘れ物を取りに帰る → Return home to get forgotten items
Common Phrases & Situations
Here are some real-life examples of how you can use 〜に行く in conversations:
A: 「これからどこに行くの?」 (Where are you going now?)
B: 「レストランに昼ごはんを食べに行くよ!」 (I’m going to a restaurant to eat lunch!)
A: 「週末、何する?」 (What are you doing this weekend?)
B: 「映画館に映画を見に行くつもり!」 (I plan to go to the cinema to watch a movie!)
A: 「放課後、何する?」 (What will you do after school?)
B: 「図書館に勉強しに行く。」 (I’ll go to the library to study.)
Practice Time
Try making your own sentences with [Destination] に/へ [Verb Stem] に 行く/来る/帰る! Here are some prompts:
- Go to school to study → ______ に行く
- Come to a friend’s house to hang out → ______ に来る
- Return home to sleep → ______ に帰る
- Go to the park to take pictures → ______ に行く
This 〜に行く pattern is very useful in daily conversations! Try using it next time you’re talking about plans or activities in Japanese.
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