Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.
行ったり来たり (いったりきたり) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
expression, noun or participle which takes 'suru'
going back and forth ; to and fro
Describes repeated movement between two points, often with a sense of indecision or busyness. Used as a noun or with する to mean 'to go back and forth'.
まえ
を
行い
っ
たり
来き
たり
し
た
。
I was undecided and kept going back and forth in front of the store.
Written forms 行い ったり 来き たり
Standard kanji spelling with regular okurigana.
行い ったりきたり
Mixed kanji-kana spelling; common in everyday writing.
行い ったり 来きた り
irregular okurigana
Irregular okurigana usage; less common.
Kanji 行 going, journey, carry out Similar words 往おう 復ふく 往復 is a more formal noun meaning 'round trip' or 'going and returning', often used for travel or correspondence. 行ったり来たり is more colloquial and emphasizes the repetitive, indecisive, or restless nature of the movement.
Etymology Reduplicative phrase from the verb 行く (いく, 'to go') and 来る (くる, 'to come') in their past tense forms, literally 'went and came', expressing repeated movement.
