来

• 読み: らい
• ローマ字: rai
• 漢字の分解: 来 (rai/ku) — come, next, future
• 発音: /ɾa.i/

意味

Next; coming. A prefix indicating the next occurrence of a time period.

A prefix attached to time-related words to mean 'next' or 'coming': 来週 (raishuu, next week), 来月 (raigetsu, next month), 来年 (rainen, next year). Contrasts with 先 (sen, last/previous) and 今 (kon, this/current). Also appears in compounds like 以来 (irai, since then) and 将来 (shourai, future).

例文

1. 来月から新しい仕事が始まる。
2. 来週の土曜日は予定がありますか。
3. 来年の春に日本に行きたい。

使い方ガイド

場面: scheduling, time expressions, planning

トーン: neutral

起源と歴史

The kanji 来 depicts a wheat plant, but was borrowed for its phonetic value to mean 'come.' As a prefix, it indicates something approaching or forthcoming. One of the earliest kanji learned in Japanese education.

文化的背景

時代: Ancient

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal