unobstructed view; visibility; vista
Physical sense: how far or clearly one can see, often in phrases such as 見通しがいい and 見通しが悪い.
This lookout has a clear view all the way to the sea.
濃い霧で道路の見通しが悪い。
The road visibility is poor because of the thick fog.
Used for an expected future situation or prediction, especially in news, business, planning, weather, and schedules. Common collocations include 見通しが立つ, 見通しは明るい, and 見通しは厳しい.
来年の景気の見通しは明るい。
The economic outlook for next year is bright.
工事がいつ終わるか、まだ見通しが立たない。
There is still no clear prospect of when the construction will finish.
Refers to a person's ability to see through a situation or anticipate what will happen. This use is often seen in expressions like 見通しが甘い or 見通しの利く.
彼女の見通しは鋭く、問題点をすぐに見抜いた。
Her insight was sharp, and she quickly spotted the problem.
彼は見通しの利く経営者だ。
He is a far-sighted manager.
This road has good visibility, so it's easy to drive on.
Visibility at this intersection is poor, making it dangerous.
The economic outlook for next year is bright.
It was announced that the outlook for earnings is grim.
It seems his predictions were too optimistic.
He is known as a manager with sharp foresight.
見通し is commonly used for visibility conditions (e.g. weather, driving) and can also mean a future outlook, while 視界 is the more neutral, physical term for one's field of vision.
見通し emphasizes foreseeing how things will develop, whereas 見当 is simply a rough estimate or hunch.
見通し emphasizes a forward-looking outlook or forecast, whereas 公算 focuses narrowly on the estimated degree of likelihood of a specific event.
Rare kanji variant given; 見通し is the normal modern spelling.