おいで (oide) Meaning Japanese Grammar - Come

The term おいで (oide) literally means to come, but in some cases it can also take the meaning of to be or to go.

Specifically, おいで is used as a command form for the verbs 行(い)く and 来(く)る.

おいで is also used as a verbal suffix to form some particular expressions.

In this post we are going to learn more about おいで, how it is formed, and when おいで is used through real example sentences.

How it is formed and what おいで means

おいで is a colloquial form to express a request or command.

When おいで is used alone (without being a verbal suffix) the term can take the meaning of come, go, or be depending on the context.

おいで can also appear in its kanji form お出(い)で

おいで is a contracted form of おいでなさい, which in turn is an honorific form that takes on the same meaning.

When instead おいで is used as a verbal suffix it can take on different meanings depending on the conjugation:

• ておいで: Te form followed by おいで. This form has the same meaning as ていろ, て来い, and に行け (imperative forms of the verbs いる, 来る, and 行く)
• においで: Particle に followed by おいで. It has the same meaning as に来い, which means come (here).

Now let's see an example of a sentence with audio that uses the expression おいで:

Examples of おいで

In this example we notice a typical use of おいで: in fact おいで is often found when a superior (parent, grandfather) refers to a boy or child to ask him to come or go.

In this example お出(い)で takes on the meaning of being.