Grammar Info

N4 Lesson 4: 17/18

見(み)えるTo be visible, To seem, To be in sight

見える was originally a conjugation of 見る, but nowadays we treat it as a standalone intransitive verb. It is also used in honorific speech, meaning “to come.”

Structure

Noun + が + 見(み)える

Details

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About 見える

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.

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.

This usage of 見(み)える will be covered more in our focused lesson on this particular grammar structure.

Fun Fact

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.

Fun Fact

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.

Related

Examples

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    「遠(とお)すぎるから書(か)かれていることが見(み)えないよ。」

    'Because it is too far, I cannot see what is written there.'

    「あの看板(かんばん)は大(おお)きいので、どこからでもよく見(み)える。」

    'Since that signboard is big, it can be seen from anywhere.'

    「富士山(ふじさん)はとても大(おお)きいから遠(とお)くからでもよく見(み)える！」

    'Mount Fuji is very big, so it can be clearly seen even from afar!'

    雨(あめ)がやんで、今(いま)でははっきりと見(み)えるよ♪

    I can see clearly now, the rain is gone♪

    田舎(いなか)は都会(とかい)より明(あ)かりが少(すく)ないから星(ほし)がよく見(み)える。

    There is less light in the countryside than in cities, so stars are clearly visible.

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      見える – Grammar Discussion

      Most Recent Replies (8 in total)

      • Pushindawood

        Pushindawood

        @pasi Thank you for your comment. I have rearranged the order of the sentences and review questions so that this particular example only appears after you have been reviewing the grammar point for some time. Cheers!

      • pasi

        pasi

        Sorry to trouble you once again, this is not strictly related to the grammar point but I was wondering why is “ハッキリ” written in katakana? I googled the meaning of the word and most examples seem to use hiragana and I couldn’t really find a reason for the katana…

      • Pushindawood

        Pushindawood

        @pasi Hey! This post on Japanese StackExchange does an excellent job of answering your question. In this case, it is like making the text bold or italicizing text in English; it is used for emphasis. Cheers!

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