What is the difference between "くる", "迎えに来る", "叶う", "〜てくる", "差し掛かる"?

"くる" means "to come", "迎えに来る" means "to come to pick up (someone)", "叶う" means "to come true, to be granted (wish, dream)", "〜てくる" means "to come doing; to start doing; to become (up to now)", "差し掛かる" means "to come to (a place), to approach, to be on the verge of".

Quintuple VS

Synonym Boundary: "くる", "迎えに来る", "叶う", "〜てくる", "差し掛かる"

All represent the core concept "come", but require precise selection.

Japanese Option A

くる

くる (kuru)

N5 / CEFR

Japanese Option B

迎えに来る

むかえにくる (mukae ni kuru)

N4 / CEFR

Japanese Option C

叶う

かなう (kanau)

N3 / CEFR

Japanese Option D

〜てくる

〜てくる (te kuru)

N3 / CEFR

Japanese Option E

差し掛かる

さしかかる (sashikakaru)

N2 / CEFR

Quintuple VS Nuance Contrast & Social Differences

When expressing "come" in Japanese, you must carefully distinguish between "くる", "迎えに来る", "叶う", "〜てくる", "差し掛かる" based on context.

くる (くる (kuru) - Level: N5): Maps to "to come" and is used when 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.
迎えに来る (むかえにくる (mukae ni kuru) - Level: N4): Maps to "to come to pick up (someone)" and is used when Used when someone comes to a location with the purpose of picking up another person. The particle に indicates purpose. The related phrase 迎えに行く.
叶う (かなう (kanau) - Level: N3): Maps to "to come true, to be granted (wish, dream)" and is used when Used exclusively for wishes, dreams, hopes, or prayers being realized or fulfilled. It's the opposite of 夢が破れる.
〜てくる (〜てくる (te kuru) - Level: N3): Maps to "to come doing; to start doing; to become (up to now)" and is used when Indicates a change or action that progresses from the past up to the present, or an action moving towards the speaker. It suggests a process or continuation that has led to the current state..
差し掛かる (さしかかる (sashikakaru) - Level: N2): Maps to "to come to (a place), to approach, to be on the verge of" and is used when ある場所や時間、段階に近づくことや、そこに着くことを表します。物理的な場所だけでなく、時期や年齢にも使われます。.

Mixing these up can easily lead to unnatural translations. Refer to the bilingual context cards below to master the boundaries!

Context for "くる"

友達が家に来ます。

My friend comes to my house.

Context for "迎えに来る"

友達が駅まで私を迎えに来てくれました。

My friend came to pick me up at the station.

Context for "叶う"

いつか海外で働くという夢が叶いました。

My dream of working overseas finally came true.

Context for "〜てくる"

日本に来てから、ずっと日本語を勉強してきました。

Since coming to Japan, I have been studying Japanese continuously.

Context for "差し掛かる"

列車はまもなく駅に差し掛かるだろう。

The train will soon approach the station.

Synonym Mastery Challenge

Which Japanese word perfectly fits this blank space?

Fill in the blank: "友達が家に来ます。" (Meaning: "My friend comes to my house.")

🎉 Correct Answer!

Remember: "くる" is correct here because it represents "to come" in the context: "My friend comes to my house.".