Going to for a purpose with 〜に行く

Grammar: Purpose » 〜に行く

2018年10月28日

2026年08月12日

[verb]に行(い)く means “go somewhere to do something”, such as eating, studying, or shopping.

Usage Notes

Put に after the verb stem that names the purpose. に行(い)く marks movement away from the current location. Related patterns use に来(く)る for movement toward the speaker and に帰(かえ)る for returning. The destination is optional when context makes it clear.

Formation

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Noun (place) + へ or に or で + Verb stem + に + 行(い)く
- カフェにコーヒーを飲(の)みに行(い)く
- "I go to the café to drink coffee"
Noun (place) + へ or に or で + Noun (する) + に + 行(い)く
- 日本(にほん)へ勉強(べんきょう)しに行(い)く
- "I'm going to Japan to study."

Note: The place name is optional in each of these formations.

Related Grammar

Going out of your way to do something with 足を運ぶ
Coming to for a purpose with 〜に来る
Returning to for a purpose with 〜に来る

Examples

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Going to buy mugs with 〜に行く

Grammar Explanation: Going to for a purpose with 〜に行く

Cocoa discusses the café’s coffee cups with Chino.

ココア:: 「この前(まえ)面白(おもしろ)いカップ見(み)つけたんだ」; “I found an interesting cup the other day.”; 「今度(こんど)買(か)いに行(い)かない？」; “Why don't we go buy some?”
リゼ:: 「へぇ　どんな」; “Oh? What kind?”