Translation guide
To foresee means to know or guess that something will happen before it does. In Japanese, this is commonly expressed with verbs like 予測する (predict), 予見する (foresee), or 見越す (anticipate). The choice depends on whether you are making a logical prediction, having a premonition, or anticipating a future event in planning.
To say that something can be predicted or foreseen based on current information, trends, or analysis.
The most common and neutral word for 'predict' or 'foresee' based on data or reasoning. Used in both formal and everyday contexts.
Experts foresee an economic recovery.
This outcome could have been foreseen.
Similar to 予測する but often implies an expectation or conjecture, sometimes with less certainty. Common in news and daily conversation.
No one had foreseen that accident.
Literally 'see through', used for foreseeing future developments or having a clear outlook. Often used in business or planning contexts.
He has the ability to foresee the future.
To express a feeling or intuition that something will happen, often without logical evidence.
To have a premonition or gut feeling about a future event. Often used for personal, emotional foresight.
I had a feeling that something bad would happen.
An idiomatic expression meaning 'to have a hunch' or 'a feeling in one's bones'. Literally 'insects tell', it conveys an intuitive warning.
To foresee something and take it into account in planning or preparation.
To use a more formal or written expression for foreseeing, often in academic or official texts.
A formal term for foreseeing, often used in legal, philosophical, or technical contexts. Less common in daily speech.
The result could have been easily foreseen.
予測 is the most objective, based on data or models. 予想 is more subjective, often an expectation or guess. 予見 is formal and implies a deeper insight or foresight, sometimes used in legal contexts.
English 'foresee' can often be translated as 予測する, but in casual speech, Japanese speakers might simply use 〜そうだ or 〜だろう to express prediction. Overusing 予測する in everyday conversation can sound stiff.
He had a premonition and canceled his trip that day.
It's important to act with foresight.