着く vs 届く
JLPT N5 vocabulary · what is the difference?
着く is for someone who travels arriving somewhere — a person, a train, a plane: 駅に着く. 届く is for something that was sent arriving at its destination: 荷物が届く. The parcel you ordered 届く, and you 着く at home.
When to use each
着く
つく
The subject is something that moved under its own power or carried people: you, a friend, a bus, a flight. The destination takes に. Ask whether the subject travelled there — if so, 着く.
六時に東京駅に着きます。
ろくじにとうきょうえきにつきます。
I'll arrive at Tokyo Station at six.
飛行機が予定より早く着きました。
ひこうきがよていよりはやくつきました。
The plane arrived earlier than scheduled.
届く
とどく
The subject is something someone sent: a parcel, a letter, an email, flowers. It always implies a sender. It also has a second everyday meaning — reaching far enough, as in 手が届く.
注文した本がまだ届いていません。
ちゅうもんしたほんがまだとどいていません。
The book I ordered still hasn't arrived.
背が低くて棚の上に手が届かない。
せがひくくてたなのうえにてがとどかない。
I'm too short to reach the top of the shelf.
Sentences where only one works
荷物が届きました。
にもつがとどきました。
The package arrived.
Someone sent it and it was delivered here. 荷物が着きました is not how this is said.
友達が駅に着きました。
ともだちがえきにつきました。
My friend arrived at the station.
A person who travelled there, so 着く.
メールが届いていませんか。
めーるがとどいていませんか。
Did my email not reach you?
Email is sent rather than travelling on its own, so 届く. This is the standard business phrasing.
私は昨日ホテルに着きました。
わたしはきのうほてるにつきました。
I arrived at the hotel yesterday.
You are the traveller. 届く would make it sound as though you had been mailed there.
Common mistakes
荷物が着きました。
荷物が届きました。
This is the most common slip with this pair. A parcel does not travel of its own accord — it is delivered, so it 届く. 着く with luggage sounds as though the suitcase walked in by itself.
手紙を届きました。
手紙が届きました。／手紙を届けました。
届く is intransitive and takes が. If you were the one who delivered it, use the transitive 届ける with を.
電車が届きました。
電車が着きました。
A train carries itself and its passengers to the platform, so it 着く.
Frequently asked questions
Which one do I use for luggage arriving at the airport?
If it was handled by the airline and came out on the belt, 荷物が届く is natural. When your bags simply travelled with you, people usually talk about themselves instead: 荷物と一緒に着きました.
Can I say 家に届く?
Yes — 家に荷物が届く means the parcel was delivered to your house. Here 家 is the delivery address, not somewhere the parcel travelled to under its own power.
What is the difference between 着く and 到着する?
Same meaning, different register. 到着する is the stiffer word used in announcements and timetables, while 着く is what you say in conversation.