LESSON NOTES · レッスンノート

N5Lesson notes · Oct 6, 2026

Arrive in Japanese: 着つく (tsuku), 到着とうちゃくする, 届とどく and which one to use

To say "arrive" in Japanese, use 着つく (tsuku) with the particle に for people and vehicles: 駅えきに着ついた, "I got to the station." Use 届とどく (todoku) when the thing that arrives is a package, a letter, or a message.

English has one verb, arrive, and it covers people, trains, parcels, and even news. Japanese splits that job across several verbs, and the split follows one simple question: who or what is arriving, and how formal is the room? Once you can answer that, the choice is almost automatic.

The basics

What is the everyday word for "arrive" in Japanese?

着つく (つく) is the everyday word. It means "to reach a place," and the place takes に.

駅えきに着つきました。 — I arrived at the station. (polite, the safe default) 家いえに着ついたら、連絡れんらくするね。 — I'll message you when I get home. (casual, a very common promise) やっと東京とうきょうに着ついた。 — I finally got to Tokyo. (casual, relieved)

The pattern is [place] + に + 着つく. You can also put a time in front with the same に: 三時さんじに着つく, "arrive at three."

Why is it に and not で?

Because に marks the destination, and で marks where an action happens. English uses "at" for both ideas, and that is exactly where learners slip.

空港くうこうに着ついた。 — I arrived at the airport. (casual, に = the place you reach) 空港くうこうで待まっている。 — I'm waiting at the airport. (casual, で = where the waiting happens)

Arriving is not an action you perform inside a place. It is the moment you reach it, so it takes に. If you say 駅えきで着ついた, a Japanese listener will pause, because it sounds like "I arrived while inside the station."

There is one place where で legitimately appears: で can mark the means. 電車でんしゃで着ついた means "I arrived by train." The で there is "by," not "at," and the destination still keeps its に: 電車でんしゃで東京とうきょうに着ついた.

What does 着ついたら really mean?

It means "when I arrive," even though English would use a future form. In English you say "I'll call you when I arrive" or "I will call when I have arrived." Japanese uses the past-tense-looking たら form for the same idea: 着ついたら、電話でんわする.

着ついたら、電話でんわします。 — I'll call you when I arrive. (polite, たら = "once this has happened") 着ついたら、教おしえて。 — Tell me when you get there. (casual request)

The たら is not about the past here. It marks "after this finishes, then that." The sentence is about the future, and the tense of the final verb tells you so. If たら still feels slippery, our guide to Japanese conditionals: tara, reba, to, nara lays out when each one fits.

Beyond the basics

When do you use 到着とうちゃくする?

到着とうちゃくする (とうちゃくする) is the formal, written version of 着つく. You hear it in announcements and see it on boards and itineraries, almost never in friendly conversation.

電車でんしゃは間あいだもなく三番さんばん線せんに到着とうちゃくします。 — The train will shortly arrive at platform 3. (very formal, station announcement) 飛行機ひこうきは予定通よていどおり到着とうちゃくしました。 — The plane arrived on schedule. (formal, news or airline wording)

Learners who studied from textbooks often say 到着とうちゃくしました to a friend who asked "Did you get there?" It is not wrong, but it sounds like you are reading a flight status board. Among friends, 着ついたよ is what people say.

What is the difference between 着つく and 届とどく?

着つく is for people and vehicles arriving. 届とどく is for things sent to you. If something is delivered, mailed, or transmitted, the verb is 届とどく, and the thing is the subject with が.

荷物にもつが届とどきました。 — My package has arrived. (polite, delivery) 手紙てがみが届とどいた。 — The letter arrived. (casual) メッセージ、届とどいてる? — Did my message get through? (casual, the message "reached" you)

Never use 届とどく with a person as the subject. 私わたしは届とどいた would mean something like "I was delivered," which is a joke, not a sentence. And while a parcel can technically also be 着つく (荷物にもつが着ついた is understandable), 届とどく is the natural choice because the parcel is being brought to you.

届とどく has a famous emotional use too. In anime and songs, 想おもいが届とどく means "my feelings reached you." Anyone who has heard a character shout 届とどけ! at a pivotal moment knows how much work this one verb does.

Can 来くる mean "arrive"?

Yes, in casual speech 来くる (くる) is how people announce that something has shown up. The English equivalent is "it's here!" or "they're here!"

電車でんしゃ、来きた! — The train's here! (casual, announced as it pulls in) 荷物にもつ、来きたよ。 — Your package is here. (casual, said to a roommate) バス、まだ来こない。 — The bus still hasn't come. (casual, waiting)

This is not a different meaning, just a different camera angle. 着つく looks at the destination ("it reached the station"). 来くる looks at the speaker's spot ("it came to where I am"). If you are standing on a platform, the train is coming to you, so 来きた is exactly right.

What about arriving home?

For home, Japanese prefers 帰かえる (かえる), "to return," over 着つく. 帰かえる is about going back to where you belong.

今いま、家いえに着ついた。 — I just got to my house. (casual, a status report: reached the place) 今いま、家いえに帰かえった。 — I just got back home. (casual, emphasizes returning) もうすぐ帰かえるよ。 — I'll be home soon. (casual, said in a message)

Both sentences are correct. 着ついた reports a position: "I'm there now." 帰かえった says "I came back to my base." The classic exchange when someone walks in the door, ただいま and おかえり, is built on 帰かえる. Our guide to tadaima and okaeri covers that pair, and the same verb sits underneath it.

How do you say "I finally made it" and "I made it in time"?

Two verbs cover these: たどり着つく for "finally reached," and 間に合まにあう for "made it in time."

やっと山やまの上うえにたどり着ついた。 — I finally made it to the top of the mountain. (casual, a hard journey) ぎりぎり間に合まにあった! — I made it just in time! (casual, relief) 電車でんしゃに間に合まにあいますか。 — Will I make the train? (polite, asking about time)

たどり着つく is 着つく with extra effort inside it: you struggled and got there. 間に合まにあう is about the clock, not the place. If it is the lateness you want to talk about, our guide to saying you will be late goes deeper.

How does arrival sound in anime?

Short, sharp, and often without any subject. Characters rarely say whole sentences when they arrive. Typical lines:

着ついたぞ! — We're here! (casual, masculine ぞ, an announcement to the group) ようやく着ついた… — We finally got here... (casual, tired relief) まだ着つかないの? — Aren't we there yet? (casual, a complaint, a road-trip classic) もう着つく。 — We're almost there. (casual, "already arriving") 間に合まにあった! — I made it in time! (casual, a classic last-second line)

Notice how 着つかない and 着つく show up in a single breath of dialogue: the negative 着つかない asks "isn't it arriving yet?" and もう着つく answers "it's about to." If you want more on the "soon" family of words, see later and soon in Japanese: ato de and mou sugu.

What is the difference between 着つく and 着ついている?

着つく is the moment of arrival; 着ついている is the state of already being there. This is a small grammar point with big practical value, because it fixes the English habit of saying "I'm arriving" when you actually mean "I'm here."

もう着ついてるよ。 — I'm already here. (casual, the state after arriving) 今いま、着ついた。 — I just arrived. (casual, the moment)

If you are waiting outside a café and your friend asks where you are, もう着ついてるよ is the line.

Common mistakes

  • Using で for the destination. 駅えきで着ついた is wrong. It is 駅えきに着ついた. Reserve で for where actions happen or the means you travel by.
  • Using 着つく for parcels. 荷物にもつが着ついた is understandable, but the natural verb for a delivery is 届とどく: 荷物にもつが届とどいた.
  • Using 届とどく for people. 彼かれが届とどいた is not "he arrived." For a person, use 着つく or, casually, 来くる: 彼かれが着ついた, 彼かれが来きた.
  • Misreading 着ついたら as past tense. 着ついたら連絡れんらくする is a promise about the future: "I'll contact you when I get there."
  • Using 到着とうちゃくする in everyday conversation. It is correct but stiff. Between friends, 着ついた is warmer and more natural.
  • Saying 着ついた when walking through your own door. At the door, the greeting is ただいま, which belongs to 帰かえる, not 着つく.

The arrive verbs side by side

Word Who or what arrives Register Particle Example
着つく People and vehicles Everyday, polite or casual 〜に着つく 駅えきに着ついた
到着とうちゃくする People, trains, planes Formal, announcements 〜に到着とうちゃくする 三番さんばん線せんに到着とうちゃくします
届とどく Things sent to you: parcels, mail, messages, feelings Everyday 〜が届とどく 荷物にもつが届とどいた
来くる Anything that shows up where you are Casual spoken 〜が来くる 電車でんしゃが来きた
帰かえる A person returning to where they belong Everyday 〜に帰かえる 家いえに帰かえった
間に合まにあう A person or thing on time Everyday 〜に間に合まにあう 電車でんしゃに間に合まにあった

Practice

Build each answer before opening it. Questions 1 and 2 are a pair, and so are 3 and 4: the same English word, two different Japanese choices.

1. Say "I arrived at the station" using the right particle.

Show answer

駅えきに着ついた — に marks the place you reach. Arriving is a destination idea, so it takes に.

2. Say "I'm waiting at the station."

Show answer

駅えきで待まっている — waiting is an action that happens inside the place, so で is correct. This is the pair to question 1.

3. Your package came in the mail. Tell your roommate it arrived.

Show answer

荷物にもつが届とどいた — 届とどく is the verb for things delivered to you, with the thing as the subject.

4. Your friend has reached the meeting spot. Tell the group "he's here."

Show answer

彼かれが着ついた (or casually 彼かれが来きた) — a person uses 着つく or 来くる, never 届とどく. This is the pair to question 3.

5. Say "I'll call you when I arrive" in polite Japanese.

Show answer

着ついたら、電話でんわします — たら looks past tense, but it means "once this has happened." The sentence is about the future.

6. Which is the right particle: 電車でんしゃ(で/に)東京とうきょう(で/に)着ついた, "I arrived in Tokyo by train"?

Show answer

電車でんしゃで東京とうきょうに着ついた — で marks the means (by train), に marks the destination.

7. You hear a station announcement. Which verb will it use for "the train will arrive at platform 3"?

Show answer

到着とうちゃくします — announcements use the formal 到着とうちゃくする, not the everyday 着つく.

8. You are on the platform and the train pulls in. What casual line announces it?

Show answer

電車でんしゃ、来きた! — 来くる is the "it's here" verb, seen from where you are standing.

9. You are already standing in front of the café and your friend asks where you are. Say "I'm already here."

Show answer

もう着ついてるよ — 着ついている describes the state after arriving. 着ついた alone would sound like "I just arrived."

10. You ran, and the train had not left yet. Say "I made it in time!"

Show answer

間に合まにあった! — 間に合まにあう is about the clock. The English "made it" often maps to 間に合まにあう, not to 着つく.

A trial lesson is a good place to describe a trip, a train and a parcel, and let what arrives, and how formal the room is, decide between 着つく, 到着とうちゃくする and 届とどく.

FAQ

Is 到着とうちゃくする more polite than 着つく?

It is more formal, not more polite. 着つきました already works in any polite situation. 到着とうちゃくする belongs to announcements, written reports, and business notices, so using it with friends sounds oddly official.

Can I say 私わたしは届とどきました for "I have arrived"?

No. 届とどく needs a thing as the subject: a package, a letter, a message. For yourself, use 着つきました.

What is the difference between 着つく and 着ついている?

着つく is the instant of arriving. 着ついている is the state of being there already. もう着ついてるよ means "I'm already here," which is what you say when waiting outside.

Why does 着ついたら use the past tense for a future event?

Because たら marks "once this is done," and it attaches to the past-looking form of the verb. The real tense of the sentence comes from the last verb, which is usually non-past: 着ついたら連絡れんらくする.

How do I say "I arrived home" in Japanese?

Both 家いえに着ついた and 家いえに帰かえった work. 着ついた reports that you reached the place, and 帰かえった says you came back. People about to walk through the door say ただいま, which comes from 帰かえる.

Does 来くる really mean "arrive"?

In spoken Japanese, yes, as the casual "it's here." 荷物にもつが来きた means "the package has come," seen from the receiver's side.

Vocabulary from this article

Tap the block to select all of it, then copy. In Anki: File → Import, note type Basic, separator Tab, and the two columns land in Front / Back.

着く	つく — to arrive, to reach
到着する	とうちゃくする — to arrive (formal)
届く	とどく — to be delivered, to reach
来る	くる — to come, to show up
帰る	かえる — to return home
間に合う	まにあう — to make it in time
たどり着く	たどりつく — to finally reach
連絡する	れんらくする — to contact
駅	えき — station
空港	くうこう — airport
荷物	にもつ — luggage, package
手紙	てがみ — letter
電車	でんしゃ — train
待つ	まつ — to wait
想い	おもい — feelings, thoughts

I'm Yuuki, a Japanese teacher based in Tokyo. I've taught on italki as a Top 1% teacher and watched over 1,500 anime, so most of the example sentences on this blog come from lines I've actually heard students ask about — including this one, which comes up in nearly every beginner's first few lessons. For practice with feedback, Book a trial lesson · $13, or work through Japanese practice exercises first.

Sources: the author's own lessons and standard reference grammars.

More drills like the ones above, plus a timed JLPT-style mock test: Practice · N5 · Read something at this level: JLPT N5 stories with audio

More “Action Words: Japanese Verbs One at a Time” articles →

Want to try this in a real conversation?

30-minute trial lesson, $13. Times shown in your own timezone.

Practice it out loud with a Tokyo native. ★5.0 from 358 italki reviews.

See how the lessons work →

Book a trial lesson · $13