What is the difference between "行きます", "でかける", "迎えに行く", "上がる"?

"行きます" means "to go (polite form)", "でかける" means "to go out; to leave", "迎えに行く" means "to go to pick up (someone/something)", "上がる" means "to go up, to rise, to be raised".

Quadruple VS

Synonym Boundary: "行きます", "でかける", "迎えに行く", "上がる"

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

Japanese Option A

行きます

いきます (ikimasu)

N5 / CEFR

Japanese Option B

でかける

でかける (dekakeru)

N5 / CEFR

Japanese Option C

迎えに行く

むかえにいく (mukae ni iku)

N4 / CEFR

Japanese Option D

上がる

あがる (agaru)

N4 / CEFR

Quadruple VS Nuance Contrast & Social Differences

When expressing "go" in Japanese, you must carefully distinguish between "行きます", "でかける", "迎えに行く", "上がる" based on context.

行きます (いきます (ikimasu) - Level: N5): Maps to "to go (polite form)" and is used when Polite form of 行く.
でかける (でかける (dekakeru) - Level: N5): Maps to "to go out; to leave" and is used when Used when leaving home or a place to go somewhere else..
迎えに行く (むかえにいく (mukae ni iku) - Level: N4): Maps to "to go to pick up (someone/something)" and is used when Used when you go to a place to meet and bring back a person.
上がる (あがる (agaru) - Level: N4): Maps to "to go up, to rise, to be raised" and is used when 自動詞.

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

Context for "行きます"

学校へ行きます。

I go to school.

Context for "でかける"

今から出かけます。

I'm going out now.

Context for "迎えに行く"

私は駅まで友達を迎えに行きました。

I went to the station to pick up my friend.

Context for "上がる"

エレベーターで上の階に上がります。

I go up to the upper floor by elevator.

Synonym Mastery Challenge

Which Japanese word perfectly fits this blank space?

Fill in the blank: "学校へ＿＿＿。" (Meaning: "I go to school.")

🎉 Correct Answer!

Remember: "行きます" is correct here because it represents "to go (polite form)" in the context: "I go to school.".