聞(き)こえる is a verb that is often used to describe things that can be heard, or the way in which something is heard. Because of this, the most common translations of this verb are ‘to be audible’, or ‘to sound like (A)’.
聞(き)こえる is an intransitive verb, and literally means ‘to give off sound’.
When using
聞(き)こえる, (A) will always be followed by
が. (A) is considered to be the ‘source’ of the sound (a noun). However, the ‘way that something sounds’ will be marked adverbially. This means that an
い-Adjective will be changed to its く form, and
な-Adjectives/nouns will be followed by
に.
-
車(くるま)の音(おと)が聞(き)こえる。
I can hear the sound of a car.
-
アニメに出(で)てくる女(おんな)の子(こ)の声(こえ)は可愛(かわい)く聞(き)こえるけど、声優(せいゆう)はいつもおばさんだ。
Voices of girls that appear in anime sound cute, but the voice actor is always an old lady.
-
こう歌(うた)うと上手(じょうず)に聞(き)こえる。
If you sing like this, you will sound good.
-
電車(でんしゃ)に聞(き)こえるけどあれは隣(となり)の人(ひと)のいびきだ。
It sounds like a train, but that is the neighbor’s snoring.
The primary difference between
聞(き)こえる, and
聞(き)ける (the
potential form of 聞(き)く), is that
聞(き)こえる is used to identify things that do not require the active concentration of the listener to be heard. In other words, ambient noise. However,
聞(き)ける is used when the speaker is trying to concentrate on some specific sound, and refers to their ‘ability’ to hear it.
-
静(しず)かな部屋(へや)にいると聞(き)こえるよ。
You can hear it if you are in a quiet room. (Without effort)
-
静(しず)かな部屋(へや)にいると聞(き)けるよ。
If you are in a quiet room, you can hear it. (If you focus and try to hear the sound)