Coming to for a purpose with 〜に来る

Grammar: Purpose » 〜に来る

[verb]に来(く)る combines a verb with the purpose marker particle に and the verb 来(く)る, meaning “to come”. It expresses the purpose or intention of coming to perform the action indicated by the verb. In English, it often translates to “come to [do something]”.

Usage

It is commonly used in casual and semi-formal speech to express purpose for coming to a place. It implies a physical movement toward a location to perform the action, so it is often used with verbs indicating activities like eating, playing, or studying. It is not used for abstract purposes or non-physical actions.

Formation

1. Noun (place) + へ or に or で + Verb stem + に + 来(く)る
   • 川(かわ)へ釣(つ)りに来(き)た
   • "I came to the river to fish."
2. Noun (place) + へ or に or で + Noun (する) + に + 来(く)る
   • 日本(にほん)へ勉強(べんきょう)しに来(き)た
   • "I came to Japan to study."

Examples

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Coming to buy coffee mugs with 〜に来る

Rize explains to Syaro why she and her friends are at the store.

リゼ:

「喫茶店(きっさてん)で使(つか)うカップ買(か)いに来(き)たんだよ」

“We came to buy cups to use at the café.”

Coming to meet someone with 〜に来る

Syaro tries to find out whose misunderstanding lead to the group visiting her workplace.

ココア:

「私(わたし)たちシャロちゃんに会(あ)いに来(き)ただけだよ？」

“We just came to see you, Sharo-chan.”

Coming to visit with 〜に来る

Chiya and Syaro visit Cocoa, even though it’s raining out.

ココア:

「二人(ふたり)ともこんな天気(てんき)なのに遊(あそ)びに来(き)てくれてありがとね」

“Thanks, both of you, for coming to visit even in weather like this.”

The expression 遊(あそ)びに来(き)る means “to drop in” or “to visit”.

Coming to wake someone with 〜に来る

ハヤテのごとく！ » Volume 1 » Page 135