～来

• Reading: らい
• Romaji: rai
• Formation: Time expression + 来 / この + Period + 来
• Kanji breakdown: 来: come — expresses time 'coming' from the past toward the present

Meaning

Indicates that something has been continuing from a certain point in the past up until the present moment. Equivalent to 'for the past ~' or 'since ~' in English.

This suffix attaches to time expressions to indicate a span of time during which something has been ongoing. Common combinations include 以来 (since), 年来 (for years), 従来 (traditionally/up to now), and expressions like この十年来 (for the past ten years). It is more literary and formal than から or 以来 used alone. 来 in this usage carries the nuance of something approaching the present — time 'coming' toward now. It appears frequently in news, essays, and formal writing. The key difference from ぶり is that 来 emphasizes continuous duration, while ぶり emphasizes the gap since the last occurrence.

Examples

1. この五年来、地域のボランティア活動に参加している。 For the past five years, I have been participating in local volunteer activities.
2. 年来の夢がついに実現した。 A long-cherished dream has finally come true.
3. 従来の方法では対応できない問題が出てきた。 Problems that cannot be handled with conventional methods have emerged.

Usage Guide

Context: written, formal speech, literary

Tone: literary

Do Say

• この十年来、この業界は大きく変化した。
• 彼とは年来の付き合いで、信頼している。
• 近年来、海外からの観光客が増え続けている。

Don't Say

• 昨日来、テレビを見た。(Using 来 with too short a time span — 来 implies a noteworthy duration, not just one day) → 昨日から、テレビを見ている。
• さっき来、勉強している。(さっき is too informal and immediate to pair with the literary suffix 来) → さっきから、勉強している。

Origin & History

From the kanji 来 (rai/kuru, to come). In this usage, it means 'coming from' a point in the past, conveying the idea that time has been flowing toward the present since the starting point.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal