見みつめる

み

つ

め

る

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

見つめる · ichidan verb

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	見みつめる	見みつめない
Polite	見みつめます	見みつめません
Past polite	見みつめました	見みつめませんでした
Past	見みつめた	見みつめなかった
Te-form	見みつめて	見みつめないで
Desire	見みつめたい	見みつめたくない
Potential	見みつめられるalso 見みつめれる	見みつめられないalso 見みつめれない
Passive	見みつめられる	見みつめられない
Causative	見みつめさせる	見みつめさせない
Causative passive	見みつめさせられる	見みつめさせられない
Volitional	見みつめよう
Polite volitional	見みつめましょう
Imperative	見みつめろ	見みつめるな
Conditional	見みつめれば	見みつめなければ
Tara conditional	見みつめたら	見みつめなかったら

Meanings

ichidan verb, transitive verb

stare at; gaze at; watch intently

Implies a sustained, focused look, often with strong emotion or concentration. Can be used for staring in wonder, suspicion, or deep thought.

彼かの女じょはじっと私わたしの目めを見みつめた。
She stared intently into my eyes.
子こ供どもたちは花はな火びをじっと見みつめていた。
The children were gazing fixedly at the fireworks.

See all 210 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉の目めを見みつめるto gaze into someone's eyes
彼かれは彼かの女じょの目めをじっと見みつめた。
He gazed steadily into her eyes.
じっと〈物もの〉を見みつめるto stare fixedly at something
彼かれは写しゃ真しんをじっと見みつめていた。
He was staring fixedly at the photo.
遠とおくを見みつめるto gaze into the distance
彼かの女じょは窓まどの外そとの遠とおくを見みつめていた。
She was gazing into the distance outside the window.

Kanji

見see, hopes, chances
詰packed, close, pressed
瞶see everything
凝congeal, freeze, stiff
視inspection, regard as, see

Related words· 9

見みるN5
見る is the neutral, general verb for 'to see/look,' while 見つめる specifically means to stare or gaze fixedly, often with emotion or concentration.
眺ながめるN3
眺める suggests a leisurely or appreciative gaze at scenery or a view, while 見つめる implies an intense, focused stare, often on a person or object.
凝ぎょう視し
凝視する is a formal or written-style word for staring intently, whereas 見つめる is the common, everyday verb for the same action.
見み入いる
見入る emphasizes being absorbed or captivated while looking at something, while 見つめる simply describes the fixed, intent act of looking.

Show 5 more

見みつめ合あうN2
見つめる is transitive, describing one person staring at someone or something, while 見つめ合う is the reciprocal form meaning two people stare into each other's eyes.
にらむN2
見つめる means to gaze steadily at something, often with neutral or positive emotion, while 睨む implies a sharp, hostile, or scrutinizing stare.
直ちょく視しN1
見つめる means to gaze or stare with concentration or emotion, while 直視 stresses looking straight at something without flinching, especially something unpleasant or a person's eyes.
見み守まもるN1
見つめる means to gaze fixedly at something up close, while 見守る implies watching over time, often from a distance, with care.
認みとめるN3
見つめる is the modern, natural word for gazing steadily at something, while 認める in this sense sounds literary or old-fashioned.

Don't confuse with

見みつけるN4
見つける means 'to find/discover,' while 見つめる means 'to stare/gaze at'; the two are easily confused because they look and sound alike but differ in meaning entirely.
見みつめ直なおすN2
見つめる simply means to gaze or stare at something, while 見つめ直す adds the nuance of reexamining or reconsidering it thoughtfully.
見み合あわせるN2
見つめる means to stare fixedly at one thing, whereas 見合わせる (sense of exchanging glances) describes two people looking at each other.

Word family

見みつめ合あうN2
stare at each other; lock eyes
見みつめ直なおすN2
take another good look at; reconsider; reexamine
見みつめ返かえす
stare back at; look back at

Written forms

見みつめるUsage88%
Standard kanji spelling; high priority.
みつめるUsage8%
見み詰つめるUsage4%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.
瞶みつめるUsage<1%
search-only kanji form
Search-only kanji form; not recommended for active use.
見み凝つめるUsage<1%
search-only kanji form
Search-only kanji form; not recommended for active use.
凝み視つめるUsage<1%
search-only kanji form
Search-only kanji form; not recommended for active use.

Etymology

Compound of 見 (mi, 'see', continuative form of 見る) + つめる (tsumeru, 'to fix, to concentrate'). The つめる here is likely related to the verb 詰める (tsumeru), meaning 'to pack tightly' or 'to focus intently'.