見る

見る

Japanese

Etymology

Kanji in this term
見
み Grade: 1
kun’yomi

From Old Japanese. First attested in the Kojiki of 712 CE.[1] From Proto-Japonic *miru. Cognate with 目 (me, “eye”).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) み​る [míꜜrù] (Atamadaka – [1])[2][3]
• (Mishima) みる [mìrú] (Heiban – [0])[4]
• IPA^(key): [mʲiɾɯ̟ᵝ]

• Tokyo pitch accent of conjugated forms of "見る"

Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary
Stem forms
Terminal (終止形) Attributive (連体形)	見る	み​る	[míꜜrù]
Imperative (命令形)	見ろ	み​ろ	[míꜜrò]
Key constructions
Passive	見られる	みられ​る	[mìráréꜜrù]
Causative	見させる	みさせ​る	[mìsáséꜜrù]
Potential	見られる	みられ​る	[mìráréꜜrù]
Volitional	見よう	みよ​ー	[mìyóꜜò]
Negative	見ない	み​ない	[míꜜnàì]
Negative perfective	見なかった	み​なかった	[míꜜnàkàttà]
Formal	見ます	みま​す	[mìmáꜜsù]
Perfective	見た	み​た	[míꜜtà]
Conjunctive	見て	み​て	[míꜜtè]
Hypothetical conditional	見れば	み​れば	[míꜜrèbà]

Verb

見(み)る • (miru) transitive ichidan (stem 見(み) (mi), past 見(み)た (mita))

Japanese verb pair
causative	見(み)せる
active	見(み)る
mediopassive	見(み)える

1. to see, to watch, to observe, to look at something
   • 2003 October 10, Quentin Tarantino, Kill Bill: Volume 1, Miramax Films, spoken by young O-Ren Ishii (Ai Maeda):

     松(まつ)本(もと)……あたしを見(み)て……あたしの顔(かお)をよーく見(み)て……あたしの目(め)を見(み)て……あたしの口(くち)を見(み)て……見(み)覚(おぼ)えないかい？……あんたが殺(ころ)した誰(だれ)かに……似(に)てないかい！

     Matsumoto…… Atashi o mite…… Atashi no kao o yōku mite…… Atashi no me o mite…… Atashi no kuchi o mite…… Mioboe nai kai? …… Anta ga koroshita dare ka ni…… nite nai kai!

     Matsumoto…… Look at me…… Take a good look at my face…… My eyes…… My mouth…… Don’t I look familiar to you?…… Like someone…… you murdered⁉

2. to look over, to examine, to judge
3. to take care of, to look after, to keep an eye on somebody
4. to view something, like paintings, flowers or a movie

   映(えい)画(が)を見(み)に行(い)く

   eiga o mi ni iku

   to go see a movie

   あの監(かん)督(とく)の映(えい)画(が)を見(み)たことはありません。

   Ano kantoku no eiga o mita koto wa arimasen.

   I haven't seen any of that director's movies before.

5. みる: (after the te form of a verb) to try to do (literally, “[do the preceding verb and] see”)

   納豆(なっとう)を食(た)べてみませんか。

   Nattō o tabete mimasen ka.

   Why not try [to eat] natto?

   死(し)ぬまで君(きみ)と生(い)きてみたいよ

   shinu made kimi to ikite mitai yo

   Until death I want to try to live with you

   怪(あや)しい扉(とびら)を開(あ)けてみたくないよ

   ayashī tobira o akete mitakunai yo

   I don't want to try to open the weird door!

Usage notes

• This auxiliary usage implies that the action has never been attempted by the subject.

Conjugation

Conjugation of "見る" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	見	み	mi
Continuative (連用形)	見	み	mi
Terminal (終止形)	見る	みる	miru
Attributive (連体形)	見る	みる	miru
Hypothetical (仮定形)	見れ	みれ	mire
Imperative (命令形)	見よ¹ 見ろ²	みよ¹ みろ²	miyo¹ miro²
Key constructions
Passive	見られる	みられる	mirareru
Causative	見させる 見さす	みさせる みさす	misaseru misasu
Potential	見られる 見れる³	みられる みれる³	mirareru mireru³
Volitional	見よう	みよう	miyō
Negative	見ない 見ぬ 見ん	みない みぬ みん	minai minu min
Negative continuative	見ず	みず	mizu
Formal	見ます	みます	mimasu
Perfective	見た	みた	mita
Conjunctive	見て	みて	mite
Hypothetical conditional	見れば	みれば	mireba
¹ Written imperative ² Spoken imperative ³ Colloquial potential

Classical conjugation of "見る" (マ行上一段活用, see Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形)	見	み	mi
Continuative (連用形)	見	み	mi
Terminal (終止形)	見る	みる	miru
Attributive (連体形)	見る	みる	miru
Realis (已然形)	見れ	みれ	mire
Imperative (命令形)	見よ	みよ	miyo
Key constructions
Negative	見ず	みず	mizu
Contrasting conjunction	見れど	みれど	miredo
Causal conjunction	見れば	みれば	mireba
Conditional conjunction	見ば	みば	miba
Past tense (firsthand knowledge)	見き	みき	miki
Past tense (secondhand knowledge)	見けり	みけり	mikeri
Perfect tense (conscious action)	見つ	みつ	mitu
Perfect tense (natural event)	見ぬ	みぬ	minu
Perfect-continuative tense	見たり	みたり	mitari
Volitional	見む	みむ	mimu

Synonyms

• 視聴(しちょう)する (shichō suru)

Derived terms

• 見(み)せる (miseru)
• 見(み)る影(かげ)もない (miru kage mo nai), 見(み)る影(かげ)も無(な)い (miru kage mo nai): mere shadow of one's former self; having no trace left of something great once possessed
• 夢(ゆめ)を見(み)る (yume o miru)

Related terms

• 見(み)える (mieru)
• 診(み)る (miru), 看(み)る (miru), 観(み)る (miru), 視(み)る (miru)

References

1. “見・看・視・観・覧”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”)‎ (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000, →ISBN
2. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
3. 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN
4. Uwano, Zendo (2002-10-31), “見島方言の用言のアクセント調査報告 [A Report on the Accentual Surveys of Verbs and Adjectives in the Mishima Dialect]”, in 環太平洋の「消滅に瀕した言語」にかんする緊急調査研究 [Endangered languages of the Pacific Rim]‎, ISSN 1346-082X