見た？
mita?
The English phrase "have you watched" can be translated into Japanese as 見た？ (mita?)
This phrase is used to ask if someone has seen or watched something. In Japanese, the rising intonation of the past tense verb alone is sufficient to turn the statement 'watched' into the question 'have you watched?'
Which one should you use?
While English distinguishes between 'did you watch' and 'have you watched', the Japanese 見た？ covers both the simple past and the present perfect aspect in casual conversation. Additionally, 見たことある？ is used specifically to ask 'Have you ever seen it?', making it useful for discussing media and general experiences.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Kansai dialect, you may hear the informal variation 見てん？
How do you pronounce it?
mita?
Did you know?
- When asking 見た？ in a social setting, a listener might respond with 見てない even if they have seen it, as a way of modesty or to avoid spoiling a surprise.
- Beyond physical sight, 見る can act as an auxiliary verb meaning 'it seems that', shifting the meaning from a visual action to a mental deduction.
- The word 見る is used for activities that English separates into different verbs, such as 'seeing' a doctor, 'looking' at a map and 'watching' a movie.
Examples in context
- 映画はご覧になりましたか。Have you watched the movie?
- そのドラマ見たことある？Have you ever seen that drama?
- その映画見てん？Have you watched that movie?
- 新しいドラマ、もう見た？Atarashii dorama, mou mita?Have you watched the new drama yet?
- YouTubeの動画、見た？YouTube no douga, mita?Have you watched the YouTube video?
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a popular Netflix series.
- 結衣 Yui蓮くん、あのドラマ見た？Ren-kun, ano dorama mita?Ren, have you watched that drama?
- 蓮 Renまだ見てないよ。Mada mite nai yo.I haven't watched it yet.
- 結衣 Yuiすごく面白いから、早く見たほうがいいよ！Sugoku omoshiroi kara, hayaku mita hou ga ii yo!It's really interesting, so you should watch it soon!
- 蓮 Renわかった、今週末に見てみるね。Wakatta, konshuumatsu ni mite miru ne.Okay, I'll try watching it this weekend.
