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

Coming to buy coffee mugs with 〜に来る

Rize explains that she (along with Chino and Cocoa) came to buy cups to use in the coffee shop.

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」

Coming to meet someone with 〜に来る

Syaro tries to find out whose misunderstanding lead to the group visiting her workplace. Cocoa suggests they simply came to meet (to see, to visit with) Syaro.

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？」

Coming to visit with 〜に来る

Cocoa thanks Chiya and Syaro for coming to visit her, even though the weather is bad.

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」

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