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見える・聞こえる details

が見える

is visible; is audible — something reaches the eyes or ears with nobody trying to perceive it

あ、ここからうみえる!

a, koko kara umi ga mieru!

Oh, you can see the sea from here! casual

部屋へやまどから、景色けしきえます。

heya no mado kara, keshikigamiemasu.

From the window of the room, the scenery is visible. neutral

  • formal
  • negative
  • past
  • polite

Examples

comes into view or within earshot — the thing perceived is the subject, and nobody is credited with perceiving it

あ、ここからうみえる!

a, koko kara umi ga mieru!

Oh, you can see the sea from here! casual

部屋へやまどから、景色けしきえます。

heya no mado kara, keshikigamiemasu.

From the window of the room, the scenery is visible. neutral

となり部屋へやから、ちいさいこえこえた。

tonari no heya kara, chiisai koe ga kikoeta.

A quiet voice came through from the next room. neutral

おそりますが、おこえすここえにくいようです。

osoreirimasu ga, o koe ga sukoshi kikoenikui you desu.

I'm sorry, but your voice seems a little hard to hear. formal

Formation

Variant notes

Notes

The thing perceived takes が, never を (×うみえる); the person it
reaches takes に, in practice almost always には — わたしにはよくえない.

Related patterns

Similar

  • おとがする reports an impression with its source unplaced; おとこえる reports it reaching a particular ear, which is why こえる takes an experiencer (わたしにはこえない) and がする cannot — ×わたしにはおとがしない.

Lookalikes

  • える is not the potential of る — it says the thing arrives at the eye unbidden (まどからうみえる), while られる says an opportunity exists (その映画えいがはネットでられる); こえる and ける split the same way.

  • The same verb, and on a noun host one particle decides everything — どもがえる reports a child in view, どもにえる reports that whoever you are looking at passes for one, so が answers "is it there?" while に and く answer "what does it come across as?".