見る
miru[mʲiɾɯ̟]
In Japanese, "I watch" is expressed as 見る (miru).
The phrase refers to the act of looking at something or observing a performance.
Which one should you use?
While 見る covers seeing, watching and looking, it is often used interchangeably with the kanji 観る when specifically referring to watching a performance or a movie.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the continuous action of watching something right now, use the form 見ている. The plain past tense is 見た, meaning "watched". If you are unable to watch or see something, use the potential negative form 見られない.
How do you pronounce it?
miru
Did you know?
- Japanese has a specific expression 見切りをつける using the root of 見る that means to give up on something after realizing it is hopeless.
- The concept of 'watching' in Japanese is so central that it can be used in various compounds to mean anything from 'inspecting' to 'taking care of' someone.
- The verb 見る is a direct linguistic relative of the Japanese word for eye, which is 目 (me).
Examples in context
- テレビは見るよ。I watch television.This sentence is useful for saying you watch television.Tatoeba #9935945 by bunbuku, translation #39164 by CK
- テレビはたまに見るよ。I watch TV now and then.This sentence is useful for saying you watch TV now and then.Tatoeba #10763961 by bunbuku, translation #264101 by CK
- テレビを見るときに使うんだ。I use it when I watch TV.This sentence is useful for explaining that you use something when you watch television.Tatoeba #201949 by small_snow, translation #39160 by AlanF_US
- 私は見ますI watch
- 私は映画を見ます。I watch movies.
- テレビを観るのが好き。I like watching TV.
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a movie.
- 美咲 Misakiこの映画を見る？Kono eiga o miru?Do you want to watch this movie?
- 大翔 Hirotoうん、見たい！Un, mitai!Yeah, I want to watch it!
- 美咲 Misakiじゃあ、今から見るよ。Jaa, ima kara miru yo.Then, I'll watch it now.
- 大翔 Hiroto一緒に見よう。Issho ni miyou.Let's watch it together.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 見る, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 見る, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
