HSK 1

来

lái

to come

HSK 1 來 木 7 strokes
Stroke order animation for 来

Words with this Character

来 lái HSK 1
to come
出来 chūlái HSK 2
出来
过来 guòlái HSK 2
过来
回来 huílái HSK 2
回来
进来 jìnlái HSK 2
进来
上来 shànglái HSK 2
上来
下来 xiàlái HSK 2
下来
本来 běn lái HSK 4
original
从来 cóng lái HSK 4
always
到来 dàolái HSK 4
到来
后来 hòu lái HSK 4
afterwards; later
将来 jiāng lái HSK 4
in the future
起来 qǐ lai HSK 4
to stand up
用来 yònglái HSK 4
用来
原来 yuán lái HSK 4
original
来不及 lái bu jí HSK 4
there's not enough time (to do sth)
来得及 lái de jí HSK 4
to have enough time; can do it in time; can still make it
看来 kàn lai HSK 5
apparently
来自 lái zì HSK 5
to come from (a place)
前来 qiánlái HSK 5
前来
未来 wèi lái HSK 5
future
以来 yǐ lái HSK 5
since (a previous event)
近年来 jìnnián lái HSK 5
近年来
近来 jìn lái HSK 6
recently
来历 lái lì HSK 6
history
来临 láilín HSK 6
来临
来往 láiwǎng HSK 6
来往
来源 lái yuán HSK 6
source (of information etc)
历来 lì lái HSK 6
always
外来 wàilái HSK 6
外来
往来 wǎnglái HSK 6
往来
向来 xiàng lái HSK 6
always (previously)
由来 yóulái HSK 6
由来
自来水 zìláishuǐ HSK 6
自来水
继往开来 jì wǎng kāi lái HSK 6
to follow the past and herald the future (idiom); part of a historical
苦尽甘来 kǔ jìn gān lái HSK 6
bitterness finishes, sweetness begins (idiom); the hard times are over,
归来 guīlái HSK 7
归来
来宾 láibīn HSK 7
来宾
来电 láidiàn HSK 7
来电
来访 láifǎng HSK 7
来访
来回 láihuí HSK 7
来回
来年 láinián HSK 7
来年
到头来 dàotóulái HSK 7
到头来
多年来 duō nián lái HSK 7
多年来
划不来 huábulái HSK 7
划不来
划得来 huádelái HSK 7
划得来
翻来覆去 fānlái-fùqù HSK 7
翻来覆去
来龙去脉 láilóng-qùmài HSK 7
来龙去脉
来之不易 láizhī-búyì HSK 7
来之不易
礼尚往来 lǐshàngwǎnglái HSK 7
礼尚往来
扑面而来 pūmiàn’érlái HSK 7
扑面而来
突如其来 tūrú-qílái HSK 7
突如其来
长期以来 chángqī yǐlái HSK 7
长期以来

Core Meaning and Usage

The character 来 (lái) primarily means "to come," indicating movement toward the speaker or a reference point. It is one of the most common verbs in Chinese and appears frequently in daily conversation.

Extended Uses

Beyond physical movement, 来 is used to mark the start of an action or event, often inviting or urging someone to do something (e.g., 来帮我 - "come help me"). It also expresses future events or changes, such as weather or plans (e.g., 明天会来一场大雨 - "a heavy rain will come tomorrow").

Common Collocations

  • 来 + verb: to invite or urge an action (来试试 - "come try")
  • 来 + time phrase: indicating arrival or occurrence (来中国 - "come to China")
  • 来 + noun: indicating arrival at a place or event (来学校 - "come to school")

Pragmatic Notes

When 来 is used alone as a sentence starter (e.g., 来，我们开始), it functions as a prompt or command, softening the tone and encouraging participation. It can also appear in compound verbs or phrases to indicate the direction or initiation of an action.

Common Confusion

Learners sometimes confuse 来 (come) with 去 (qù, go). 来 always implies movement toward the speaker or a reference point, while 去 implies movement away. Pay attention to the speaker's perspective to choose correctly.

Example Sentences

他明天会来学校参加会议。

Tā míngtiān huì lái xuéxiào cānjiā huìyì.

He will come to school to attend the meeting tomorrow.

你来帮我搬一下这张桌子吧。

Nǐ lái bāng wǒ bān yíxià zhè zhāng zhuōzi ba.

Come help me move this table.

天气预报说，明天会来一场大雨。

Tiānqì yùbào shuō, míngtiān huì lái yì chǎng dàyǔ.

The weather forecast says a heavy rain will come tomorrow.

他来得很晚，错过了开会的时间。

Tā lái de hěn wǎn, cuòguò le kāihuì de shíjiān.

He came very late and missed the meeting time.

来，我们开始今天的会议。

Lái, wǒmen kāishǐ jīntiān de huìyì.

Let's start today's meeting.

他来中国已经三年了。

Tā lái Zhōngguó yǐjīng sān nián le.

He has been in China for three years.

你来试试这个新菜吧，很好吃。

Nǐ lái shìshi zhège xīn cài ba, hěn hǎochī.

Come and try this new dish, it's very delicious.

他来信说他很快会回家。

Tā lái xìn shuō tā hěn kuài huì huí jiā.

He wrote a letter saying he will come home soon.