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行く先 (yukusaki) Japanese meaning: destination | Kotomora

行ゆく先さき

also: いくさき

ゆ

く

さ

き

JLPTN1›Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

The place one is heading to; used for physical destinations in travel or movement.

旅りょ行こうの行ゆく先さきはまだ決きめていない。

I haven't decided on the destination for my trip yet.

2

Refers to the location or whereabouts of a person, often used when the location is unknown or being inquired about.

彼かれの行ゆく先さきが分わからなくなった。
I lost track of his whereabouts.

3

future; prospects

Metaphorical extension: what lies ahead in life, career, or a situation; often used in expressions like 行く先が不安だ.

就しゅう職しょく活かつ動どうで行ゆく先さきが見みえず、不ふ安あんだ。
I can't see my future prospects in job hunting, and I'm anxious.

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉に行ゆく先さきを告つげるto tell someone one's destination
彼かれは誰だれにも行ゆく先さきを告つげずに家いえを出でた。
He left home without telling anyone his destination.
行ゆく先さきが分わからないsomeone's whereabouts are unknown
彼かの女じょの行ゆく先さきが分わからず、家か族ぞくは心しん配ぱいしている。
Her whereabouts are unknown, and her family is worried.
行ゆく先さきを見み失うしなうto lose track of where one is heading (literally or figuratively)
夢ゆめを失うしない、行ゆく先さきを見み失うしなってしまった。
Having lost his dream, he lost his sense of direction in life.
行ゆく先さきが不ふ安あんだto feel anxious about what lies ahead
会かい社しゃの将しょう来らいを考かんがえると、行ゆく先さきが不ふ安あんだ。
Thinking about the company's future, I feel anxious about what's ahead.
行ゆく先さきを決きめるto decide on one's destination
旅りょ行こうの行ゆく先さきをまだ決きめていない。
We haven't decided on our travel destination yet.

Expressions

行ゆく先さき々ざきeverywhere one goes; wherever one goes

Kanji

行going, journey, carry out
先before, ahead, previous

Related words

行いき先さきN3
行き先 is the everyday, neutral word for 'destination', while 行く先 sounds more literary and can also extend to abstract 'future' meanings.
目もく的てき地ちN1sense 1
目的地 is a more formal, explicit term for the specific place one is traveling to, whereas 行く先 can be vaguer or more literary.
行方ゆくえN2sense 2
行方 is the standard word for someone's whereabouts (often when missing), while 行く先 in this sense is a slightly more formal alternative.
将しょう来らいN5sense 3
将来 is the common, everyday word for one's future, while 行く先 used this way is more figurative and literary.
行ゆく末すえ sense 3
行く末 poetically describes the course or eventual outcome of one's life, overlapping closely with the metaphorical 'future' sense of 行く先.

Opposites

出しゅっ発ぱつ点てん sense 1
出発点 is the starting point of a journey, the opposite of 行く先 which is the destination one is heading toward.

Don't confuse with

先さき々ざき
行く先 means 'one's destination' (a single place one is headed), while 先々 in its place-sense refers to multiple future destinations one will visit over time.

Written forms

行く先Usage91%
- ゆくさき
  Standard kanji spelling; the reading ゆくさき is the most common and is prioritized in news sources.
- いくさき
  Alternate reading; less common than ゆくさき but still encountered.
ゆくさきUsage9%

Etymology

Compound of 行く (iku/yuku, 'to go') and 先 (saki, 'ahead, destination'). The reading ゆくさき uses the older literary form ゆく of the verb.

いくさき