見える
mieru[mʲie̞ɾɯ̟]
In Japanese, "it looks" is expressed as 見える (mieru).
見える is used to describe the appearance of something or how it is perceived by the eyes. It can mean something is visible or that it appears a certain way.
Which one should you use?
見える describes how something appears to the eyes or its visibility, which distinguishes it from 見せる, which means "to show" something to someone.
How does it change in a sentence?
The dictionary form 見える is used to express that something is visible or appears a certain way. For polite speech, use the form 見えます.
How do you pronounce it?
mieru
Did you know?
- In Japanese, describing how someone looks can be a social minefield. Using 見える to say someone 'looks' old or tired can be perceived as a direct critique of their actual state rather than a mere observation.
- Ancient texts like the Kojiki from 712 AD already used the root form of 見える, showing that the way Japanese people describe appearance has remained consistent for over thirteen centuries.
- The word 見える is an intransitive verb, meaning it describes a state rather than an action. While an English speaker says 'I see' or 'it looks', the Japanese focus is on the object's property of being visible.
Examples in context
- とても高価に見える。It looks very expensive.This sentence shows how to use 見える to describe something appearing expensive.Tatoeba #2121839 by bunbuku, translation #1897717 by CK
- それは卵のように見える。It looks like an egg.This sentence uses 見える to describe something looking like an object.Tatoeba #204797 by arnab, translation #42039 by CK
- あなたは今日とても忙しそうに見える。It looks like you've been busy today.This sentence uses 見える to describe an impression of someone's state.Tatoeba #7577116 by Fugu, translation #2046875 by CK
- あの山は高そうですね。That mountain looks high, doesn't it?
- 彼の服装はクールっぽい。His fashion style looks cool.
- 彼女のドレスはとても上品に見えます。Her dress looks very elegant.
- この商品は高価な印象を与えます。This product gives the impression of being expensive.
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hina and Ren are looking at a cake in a bakery window.
- 陽葵 Himariこのケーキ、すごく美味しそうに見えるね。Kono kēki, sugoku oishisō ni mieru ne.This cake looks delicious, doesn't it?
- 蓮 Ren本当だ。色もとてもきれいに見えるよ。Hontō da. Iro mo totemo kirei ni mieru yo.You're right. The colors look very beautiful too.
- 陽葵 Himari蓮くん、どっちが見える？こっちがいいかな？Ren-kun, dotchi ga mieru? Kotchi ga ii kana?Ren, which one do you see? Maybe this one is better?
- 蓮 Ren右の方が豪華に見えるから、それにしよう。Migi no hō ga gōka ni mieru kara, sore ni shiyō.The one on the right looks more fancy, so let's go with that.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 見える, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 見える, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
