In the same way that
聞（き）こえる is used to describe things that are ‘audible’,
見（み）える can be used to describe things that are ‘visible’.
見（み）える itself is an intransitive verb, meaning that the object that is ‘visible’ will be marked with
が.
-
この部屋（へや）からは富士山（ふじさん）が見（み）えます。
Mount Fuji can be seen from this room.
-
遠（とお）くに建物（たてもの）が見（み）えるけどあれは何（なに）？
I can see a building in the distance, but what is it?
-
パンツが見（み）えるくらいを下（さ）げて、先生（せんせい）に怒（おこ）られた。
My pants were sagging to the point where my underwear was visible, and I got scolded by my teacher.
When using
見（み）える, (A) will always be followed by
が. However, the ‘way that something looks’ 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.
-
ここからだと小（ちい）さく見（み）えるけど、あのビルは130メートルもある。
From here, the building looks small, but it is 130 meters tall.
-
あの仕事（しごと）は大変（たいへん）に見（み）えるけど、簡単（かんたん）らしいよ。
That job looks difficult, but I heard that it is easy.
This usage of
見（み）える will be covered more in our focused lesson on this particular grammar structure.
The primary difference between
見（み）える, and
見（み）られる (the
potential form of 見（み）る), is that
見（み）える is used to identify things that do not require the active concentration of the spectator to be seen. In other words, seeing it is unavoidable (if looking in its direction of course). However,
見（み）られる is used when the onlooker, is trying to concentrate on some specific object, and is referring to their ‘ability’ to see it.
-
部屋（へや）を暗（くら）くして外（そと）を見（み）たら、星（ほし）が見（み）えるよ。
If you make your room dark and look outside, you will see the stars. (Even without trying, you will see them)
-
部屋（へや）を暗（くら）くして外（そと）を見（み）たら、星（ほし）が見（み）られるよ。
If you make your room dark and look outside, you will see the stars. (If you focus past the clouds, and give your eyes some time to adjust)
見（み）える is also sometimes used to describe the ‘sense’ of sight, and refers to whether anything is visible at all for the speaker.