聞く · godan verb (-ku)
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 聞く | 聞かない |
| Polite | 聞きます | 聞きません |
| Past polite | 聞きました | 聞きませんでした |
| Past | 聞いた | 聞かなかった |
| Te-form | 聞いて | 聞かないで |
| Desire | 聞きたい | 聞きたくない |
| Potential | 聞ける | 聞けない |
| Passive | 聞かれる | 聞かれない |
| Causative | 聞かせる | 聞かせない |
| Causative passive | 聞かせられるalso 聞かされる | 聞かせられないalso 聞かされない |
| Volitional | 聞こう | |
| Polite volitional | 聞きましょう | |
| Imperative | 聞け | 聞くな |
| Conditional | 聞けば | 聞かなければ |
| Tara conditional | 聞いたら | 聞かなかったら |
godan verb (-ku), transitive verb
Passive or unintentional perception of sound. Often used with が to mark the sound heard.
I heard a strange noise from the next room.
godan verb (-ku), transitive verb
Only when written 聴く
Active, intentional listening, especially to music, radio, or a speaker. 聴く is preferred for this sense.
I listen to the news on the radio every morning.
godan verb (-ku), transitive verb
Asking a question or making an inquiry. Often used with に for the person asked and を for the thing asked.
I asked for directions at the station.
godan verb (-ku), transitive verb
Receiving information indirectly, often through rumors or reports. Commonly used with ～と聞く or ～を聞く.
I heard that he got married.
godan verb (-ku), transitive verb
Acting in accordance with advice, orders, or requests. Often used with 言うことを聞く or 忠告を聞く.
Listen to what your parents say.
godan verb (-ku), transitive verb
Formal or considerate reception of a plea, request, or argument. Often used in contexts like 願いを聞く or 言い分を聞く.
The president listened to our proposal.
godan verb (-ku), transitive verb
Specialized use for appreciating incense or fragrance, as in 香を聞く. Not used for general smelling.
See also: 香を聞く
I learned the etiquette of appreciating incense in the tea room.
godan verb (-ku), transitive verb
Rare, specialized use for tasting alcohol. Also written 利く. Not used for general tasting.
To taste the flavor of sake.
I heard the sound of the car's engine.
I often listen to music at night.
I asked the teacher about the test range.
I heard that he's moving next month.
Children should do as their parents say.
I granted her wish.
聞く is the everyday word covering both 'to hear' and 'to ask', while 訊く is a narrower, more literary kanji choice used only for the 'ask' meaning.
聞く is the general verb for hearing or listening, while 耳にする specifically implies hearing something incidentally, without seeking it out.
聞く is the everyday, neutral verb for hearing or listening, while 傾聴 is a formal term for listening with deep, focused attention.
聞く is the plain, general verb for hearing or listening to anything, whereas 耳を貸す specifically implies granting someone a willing audience for their words.
聞く is the neutral verb for hearing or asking, whereas 伺う is the humble form used when the information comes from or is directed toward a superior.
聴聞 is a stiff, formal word for hearing used in legal or official settings, whereas 聞く is the ordinary everyday verb for listening or hearing anything.
聞く is the plain, general verb for hearing or listening, while 耳に挟む specifically means to catch a bit of information by chance, in passing.
聞く is the casual, everyday verb for asking someone something, while 質問をする sounds more explicit and slightly more formal.
聞く is the plain, general verb for 'to hear/listen', while 耳を傾ける adds a nuance of deliberate, focused attention.
聞く means to hear, listen, or ask on one's own, while 聞かす is its causative counterpart meaning to make someone else hear or understand something.
listener; hearer; audience · interviewer; questioner
learning by ear; picking up by listening · having heard before; sounding familiar
get information out of someone; extract information; find out through questioning · begin listening
reasonableness; obedience
information gathering; interviewing witnesses; police inquiry
good listener; being a good listener
straining one's ears; listening intently
eavesdropping; tapping
grant (a wish); accede to; comply with; heed
catch; make out; understand (by hearing) · ask about; inquire; find out by asking
ignore what one hears; let something go in one ear and out the other; pay no attention to
listener's role; role of listener
listen again; listen repeatedly · ask a question in return; counter with a question · ask again; ask for clarification
reputation; what others think; appearances
writing down what one hears; account of what one hears
eavesdropping
distinguish by hearing; tell apart by sound · listen and understand; be reasonable; listen to reason
hard to hear; difficult to hear · unpleasant to hear; painful to listen to · hard to ask; difficult to ask
hearsay; secondhand information
listen again; ask again
inquiring beforehand; making preliminary inquiries
hear faintly; catch wind of
inattentive listening; half-listening; not paying full attention
way of asking; how to ask · way of listening; how to listen · listener
something worth hearing; highlight (of a program)
tea tasting · tea-tasting contest
incense smelling; incense appreciation; incense-smelling party