聞く
kiku[kʲi̥kɯ̟]
The Japanese verb for 'to hear' is 聞く (kiku).
The verb 聞く is used to perceive sounds through the ear, but it also covers the meanings of 'to listen to' (paying attention to sound) and 'to ask' (inquiring). In many contexts, it is used specifically to mean 'to ask a question' rather than just perceiving a sound.
Meaning: to perceive sounds through the ear (verb)
Which one should you use?
聞く is an active verb meaning 'to hear' or 'to listen'. In contrast, 聞こえる is an intransitive verb used to describe sounds that are audible in the environment or reach one's ears spontaneously.
How does it change in a sentence?
The past tense of 聞く is 聞いた. The negative form is 聞かない, which means 'do not hear' or 'do not listen'.
How do you pronounce it?
kiku
What mistakes should you avoid?
Note that the informal form 聞かない specifically means 'not to listen'.
Did you know?
- The word 聞く can be used to express the act of obeying, such as when a child 'listens' to their parents' instructions.
- In ancient Japanese, 聞く was written using man'yōgana, a system that used Chinese characters for their sounds rather than their meanings.
Examples in context
- その話聞くと、笑っちゃう。I can't stop laughing when I hear that story.This sentence shows the use of 聞く when hearing a story.Tatoeba #10723747 by small_snow, translation #3710135 by AlanF_US
- トムはこれについて聞くべきだ。Tom should hear about this.This sentence uses 聞く to express the idea of hearing about something.Tatoeba #2129968 by bunbuku, translation #1867909 by CK
- その歌を聞くとある少女を思い出す。Whenever I hear that song, I think of a certain girl.This sentence demonstrates using 聞く when hearing a song.Tatoeba #211987 by small_snow, translation #1451716 by CK
- はい、聞こえます。Yes, I can hear.
- 15 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui and Ren are talking in a quiet room.
- 結衣 Yuiねえ、外で何か音が聞こえる？Nee, soto de nanika oto ga kikoeru?Hey, do you hear some sound outside?
- 蓮 Renいいえ、何も聞くことができません。Iie, nanimo kiku koto ga dekimasen.No, I cannot hear anything.
- 結衣 Yuiもう一度よく聞いてみて。Mou ichido yoku kiite mite.Try to listen carefully once more.
- 蓮 Renあ、今やっと音が聞くことができた！A, ima yatto oto ga kiku koto ga dekita!Oh, I was finally able to hear a sound!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 聞く, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 聞く, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
