How do you say "When will they come?" in Japanese?

"When will they come?" in Japanese is "いつ来ますか？". This phrase is commonly used in Japan.

What does "いつ来ますか？" mean in English?

"いつ来ますか？" means "When will they come?" in English. Usage tip: [いつ来ますか？] is direct but fine. To soften: [いつごろ来ますか？] (“around when?”).

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How to Say ‘When will they come?’ in Japanese

いつ来ますか？

itsu ki masu ka

[ee-tsu kee mahs kah]

💬 Usage Tip: [いつ来ますか？] is direct but fine. To soften: [いつごろ来ますか？] (“around when?”).

🇯🇵 In Japan: Appointment times in Japan are often given as ranges (morning/afternoon) rather than exact minutes, especially for home visits.

Phrase Breakdown

いつ

itsu

[ee-tsu]

when

いつ asks about timing. Useful to confirm when the landlord or repair person will arrive.

Example

業者さんはいつ来ますか？

When will the repair person come?

来ます

ki masu

come (polite)

Polite form of 来る (to come). Used when asking about someone’s arrival.

Example

明日来ます。

I will come tomorrow.

Words in this phrase

来

[kee]

to come (stem used in polite forms)

来 combines with ます to form 来ます (“come”). Here it’s about arrival time.

Example

いつ来ますか？

When will you/they come?

ます

masu

[mahs]

polite verb ending

ます makes the question polite, appropriate when asking a landlord or repair company.

Example

いつ来ますか？

When will you/they come?

か

[kah]

question particle

か turns the sentence into a question. Very common in polite inquiries.

Example

いつ来ますか？

When will you/they come?

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