見える · ichidan verb
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 見える | 見えない |
| Polite | 見えます | 見えません |
| Past polite | 見えました | 見えませんでした |
| Past | 見えた | 見えなかった |
| Te-form | 見えて | 見えないで |
| Desire | 見えたい | 見えたくない |
| Potential | 見えられるalso 見えれる | 見えられないalso 見えれない |
| Passive | 見えられる | 見えられない |
| Causative | 見えさせる | 見えさせない |
| Causative passive | 見えさせられる | 見えさせられない |
| Volitional | 見えよう | |
| Polite volitional | 見えましょう | |
| Imperative | 見えろ | 見えるな |
| Conditional | 見えれば | 見えなければ |
| Tara conditional | 見えたら | 見えなかったら |
ichidan verb, intransitive verb
be visible; be seen; be in sight
Describes something coming into view or being within sight. Often used with potential nuance: 'can see'.
You can see Mt. Fuji from here.
The sea is visible outside the window.
ichidan verb, intransitive verb
Expresses an impression or judgment based on appearance. Often used with adjectives or in the form 〜ように見える.
He looks well.
This problem looks difficult, but it's actually easy.
ichidan verb, intransitive verb
Honorific expression for 'to come', used to show respect to the subject. Often in the form お見えになる.
See also: お見えになる
The teacher has arrived (honorific).
You can see Mt. Fuji from the window of this room.
He looks a little tired.
Wearing these clothes makes you look tall.
Both are honorific for 'to come', but いらっしゃる is the more common, general honorific verb while 見える in this sense is a softer, somewhat old-fashioned honorific often paired with お見えになる.
見える describes how something looks based on visual evidence, while 思われる expresses an impression formed through reasoning or judgment.
見える is intransitive and simply means something looks a certain way or is visible, whereas 見受ける is transitive and implies the speaker actively forms a judgment from observation.
見える describes the state of being visible or able to be seen, while 現れる describes the event of something coming into view.
見える describes how something looks based on visual evidence, whereas 思える conveys a more subjective, reasoned impression.
来る is the plain, neutral verb for 'to come', while 見える is its honorific counterpart used to show respect toward the person arriving.
参る is the humble form used when the speaker themselves comes or goes, while 見える is the honorific form used for someone else's arrival.
completely visible; in plain sight; fully exposed
appearing and disappearing; slipping in and out of view
obvious; transparent; see-through
audience (with a superior); interview · first public appearance; debut; coming out · trial service (of a servant); probation · audience with a shogun (Edo period); right to such an audience
interview; audition · stage debut; first appearance · meeting (humble) · trial for a servant
face-to-face encounter; meeting in person
be faintly visible; be barely visible
visualization; making visible; digitization
be transparent; be obvious; be easily seen through
invisible hand
hard to see; indistinct; illegible
hard to see; difficult to see; obscured
come into view; begin to be visible