Synonym Comparison
The Nuance Difference: "います" vs "くる"
Master the exact conceptual boundary between these Japanese terms.
Japanese Term A
います
います (imasu)
N5 / CEFR Syllabus
VS
Japanese Term B
くる
くる (kuru)
N5 / CEFR Syllabus
Nuance Contrast & Social Differences
In Japanese, both います and くる are often translated to English but have distinct usages.
います (います (imasu)) represents "to be, to exist (animate objects)" (Level: N5) and typically represents Polite form of いる. Used for the existence of animate objects.
On the other hand, くる (くる (kuru)) translates to "to come" (Level: N5) and is used for Used for movement towards the speaker's current location or a specific point of reference. This is an irregular verb. The polite form is 来ます. Mixing these up can sound unnatural to native Japanese speakers!
Bilingual Sentence for "います"
部屋に猫がいます。
There is a cat in the room.
Bilingual Sentence for "くる"
友達が家に来ます。
My friend comes to my house.
Nuance Mastery Quiz
Which Japanese word perfectly fits this blank space?
Fill in the blank: "部屋に猫が ＿＿＿ 。" (Meaning: "There is a cat in the room.")
🎉 Correct Answer!
Remember: "います" fits here because it represents "to be, to exist (animate objects)" in the context: "There is a cat in the room.".