Synonym Comparison
The Nuance Difference: "来ます" vs "終わる"
Master the exact conceptual boundary between these Japanese terms.
Japanese Term A
来ます
きます (kimasu)
N5 / CEFR Syllabus
VS
Japanese Term B
終わる
おわる (owaru)
N4 / CEFR Syllabus
Nuance Contrast & Social Differences
In Japanese, both 来ます and 終わる are often translated to English but have distinct usages.
来ます (きます (kimasu)) represents "to come (polite form)" (Level: N5) and typically represents Polite form of 来る.
On the other hand, 終わる (おわる (owaru)) translates to "to finish, to end (intransitive)" (Level: N4) and is used for Intransitive verb. Used for things that finish by themselves or a process ending. The transitive form is 終える. Mixing these up can sound unnatural to native Japanese speakers!
Bilingual Sentence for "来ます"
友達が家に来ます。
My friend comes to my house.
Bilingual Sentence for "終わる"
仕事は5時に終わります。
Work finishes at 5 o'clock.
Nuance Mastery Quiz
Which Japanese word perfectly fits this blank space?
Fill in the blank: "友達が家に ＿＿＿ 。" (Meaning: "My friend comes to my house.")
🎉 Correct Answer!
Remember: "来ます" fits here because it represents "to come (polite form)" in the context: "My friend comes to my house.".