Dictionary › 来

来

lái

Old HSK 1 HSK 3.0 character level 1 Character Traditional 來

来 (lái) means "to come". It is an HSK 3.0 level 1 word, and was HSK 1 in the old six-level list.

What 来 means

1. to come
2. (used as a substitute for a more specific verb)
3. hither (directional complement for motion toward the speaker, as in {回来|huí lai})
4. ever since (as in {自古以来|zì gǔ yǐ lái})
5. for the past (amount of time)
6. (prefix) the coming ...; the next ... (as in {来世|lái shì})
7. (between two verbs) in order to
8. (after a round number) approximately
9. (used after {得|dé} to indicate possibility, as in {谈得来|tán de lái}, or after {不|bù} to indicate impossibility, as in {吃不来|chī bu lái})

How 来 is used in grammar

来 is a grammar word. Each link goes to its own section: what it does in that pattern, the structure, three example sentences with pinyin, and the mistake to avoid.

• Directional Complements: 来/去, 上/下/进/出/回 (HSK 2)

Example sentences

• 进来
  Come in.
• 快来了
  Kuài lái le
  Come quick.
• 来了。
  I'm coming.
• 来吧。
  Come along.
• 进来！
  Come on in!
• 进来。
  Come in.

Words starting with 来

• 来到lái dàoto arrive; to come
• 来自lái zìto come from (a place); From: (in email header)
• 来不及lái bu jíthere's not enough time (to do sth); it's too late
• 来得及lái de jíto have enough time; can do it in time; can still make it
• 来源lái yuánsource (of information etc); origin
• 来历lái lìhistory; antecedents; origin
• 来讲lái jiǎngas to; considering; for
• 来回lái huíto make a round trip; return journey; back and forth
• 来信lái xìnincoming letter; to send us a letter
• 来得lái deto emerge (from a comparison); to come out as; to be competent or equal to
• 来往lái wǎngto come and go; to have dealings with; to be in relation with
• 来临lái línto approach; to come closer
• 来电lái diànincoming telephone call (or telegram); to phone in; to send in a telegram…
• 来着lái zheauxiliary showing sth happened in the past
• 来访lái fǎngto pay a visit
• 来源于lái yuán yúto originate in
• 来宾lái bīnguest; visitor
• 来年lái niánnext year; the coming year
• 来函lái hánincoming letter; letter from afar; same as 来信
• 来华lái Huáto come to China
• 来客lái kèguest
• 来意lái yìone's purpose in coming
• 来世lái shìafterlife; next life
• 来劲lái jìn(dialect) to be full of zeal; high-spirited; exhilarating

Words containing 来

• 起来qi lai(after a verb) indicating the beginning and continuation of an action or a state…
• 出来chū láito come out; to appear; to arise
• 后来hòu láiafterwards; later; newly arrived
• 回来huí laito return; to come back
• 下来xià laito come down; (completed action marker)…
• 过来guò láito come over; to manage; to handle
• 原来yuán láioriginal; former; originally; formerly; at first; so, actually, as it turns out
• 越来越yuè lái yuèmore and more
• 看来kàn laiapparently; it seems that
• 从来cóng láialways; at all times; never (if used in negative sentence)
• 本来běn láioriginal; originally; at first
• 带来dài láito bring; (fig.) to bring about; to produce
• 将来jiāng láiin the future; future; the future
• 未来wèi láifuture; tomorrow; approaching
• 以来yǐ láisince (used after a specified time or event)
• 进来jìn láito come in
• 近来jìn láirecently; lately
• 向来xiàng láialways (previously)
• 上来shàng láito come up; to approach; (verb complement indicating success)
• 历来lì láialways; throughout (a period of time); (of) all-time
• 继往开来jì wǎng kāi láito follow the past and herald the future (idiom); part of a historical transition…
• 苦尽甘来kǔ jìn gān láibitterness finishes, sweetness begins (idiom); the hard times are over, the good times…
• 看起来kàn qǐ laiseemingly; apparently; looks as if; appears to be; gives the impression that…
• 传来chuán lái(of a sound) to come through; to be heard; (of news) to arrive

Characters that look like 来

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 果guǒfruit; result; resolute
• 米mǐuncooked rice; meter (unit of length); (slang) Chinese yuan
• 束shùto bind; bunch; bundle
• 呆dāifoolish; stupid; expressionless; blank; variant of 待
• 隶lì(bound form) a person in servitude; low-ranking subordinate…
• 秉bǐngto grasp; to hold; to maintain

Sounds the same

Read lái, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 莱name of weed plant (fat hen, goosefoot, pigweed etc); Chenopodium album
• 徕used in 招徕
• 铼rhenium (chemistry)
• 涞brook; ripple
• 箂(bamboo)
• 郲name of a country in Spring and Autumn period in modern Shandong, destroyed by Qi 齐
• 崃name of a mountain in Sichuan
• 𡥧last
• 梾used in 梾木
• 騋mare
• 𱉵used in 鶆䴈
• 𱇭see 鲥鱼

Where 来 is taught

In the GraphChinese course it is part of Everyday Actions (HSK 1), HSK 1 Characters · Set 3 (HSK 1), each one a topic in the dependency graph of HSK 1–6 that opens only once its prerequisites are solid.

Go deeper

• Every HSK 1 word, with the rest of its level.
• How characters are built from components.
• How to learn Chinese characters.
• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read lái correctly.
• Look up another word in the free dictionary.