来 is one of the most versatile verbs in Chinese. Beyond 'to come,' it can replace other verbs casually: 我来 (let me do it), 来一杯茶 (give me a cup of tea).
grammar
来 is used as a directional complement after other verbs to show movement toward the speaker: 走过来 (walk over here), 拿来 (bring here).
Components
pictograph
来lái
to come (originally wheat)
Originally a pictograph of a wheat plant — full ear above, drooping leaves on the sides, root below — later borrowed for the verb 'to come' through phonetic loan. Indexed under Kangxi #75 木 by tradition; the tree radical isn't visibly present in the modern silhouette, which preserves only the wheat-stalk shape.
Filed under radical 木 (mù, #75) by convention. 木 is not a separate component in 来, so no strokes are highlighted.
