Japanese makes a precise distinction between "can hear/see": is it innate sensory ability, or ability gained through conditions/effort? The verbs used are completely different.
Hearing: 聞こえる vs 聞ける
| 聞こえる | 聞ける | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Intransitive verb | Potential verb |
| Meaning | Naturally hear (no effort needed) | Can hear (given conditions/ability) |
| Subject | Sound / thing | Person |
| Example | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 朝早く起きると、鳥の声が聞こえます。 | If you wake up early, you can hear the birds singing. (Naturally audible) |
| 音楽室のピアノの音が聞こえなくなりました。 | The piano sound from the music room can no longer be heard. (Natural change in state) |
| お金を払えば、その歌手のコンサートが聞けます。 | If you pay, you can attend that singer's concert. (Conditions required) |
聞こえる = the sound reaches your ears on its own; 聞ける = you have the means/conditions to listen.
Seeing: 見える vs 見られる
| 見える | 見られる | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Intransitive verb | Potential verb |
| Meaning | Naturally visible (no effort needed) | Can see (given conditions/ability) |
| Subject | Scenery / thing | Person |
| Example | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ここから富士山が見える。 | You can see Mt. Fuji from here. (Within natural line of sight) |
| 晴れてきたから富士山が見えるようになった。 | The weather cleared up, so Mt. Fuji became visible. (Natural conditions changed) |
| チケットを買えば、この映画が見られます。 | If you buy a ticket, you can watch this movie. (Conditions required) |
見えてきた vs 見えた
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 富士山が見えた。 | Mt. Fuji came into view! (Suddenly appeared in sight) |
| 富士山が見えてきた。 | Mt. Fuji gradually came into view. (Slowly appeared as we got closer / weather changed) |
てきた expresses "a gradual change from nothing to something" — slowly going from invisible to visible.
～なくなる vs ～ないようになる
The loss of sensory ability also has two expressions:
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 聞こえなくなった。 | Can't hear it anymore. (Sudden / resultative change) |
| 聞こえないようになった。 | Gradually became unable to hear it. (Change through a process) |
がる: Describing Other People's Feelings
Japanese adjectives of emotion (嬉しい, 怖い, 欲しい) can only directly describe your own feelings. To describe someone else's feelings, you must add がる:
| Self | Others |
|---|---|
| 私は嬉しい。 I'm happy. | 彼は嬉しがっている。 He seems happy. |
| 私は怖い。 I'm scared. | 彼は怖がっている。 He seems scared. |
| 私は水が欲しい。 I want water. | 彼は水を欲しがっている。 He wants water. |
がる turns the adjective into a transitive verb, so the particle changes from が to を:
犬を怖がっている。 Is scared of dogs. (怖い + がる → 怖がる; the object takes を)
Causative with がる
がる can be further combined with the causative:
私はおばけの真似をして、陽子ちゃんを怖がらせた。 I imitated a ghost and scared Yoko.
怖い → 怖がる (to be scared) → 怖がらせる (to scare someone)
だけにしか〜ません: Emphasizing Exclusivity
Finally, a pattern that often pairs with perception/ability expressions:
あなたにだけにしか頼めません。 I can only ask you.
だけ + にしか + negative = triple restriction, emphasizing "you and only you."
Summary
- 聞こえる / 見える = natural sensory perception (sound reaches you; scenery enters your eyes)
- 聞ける / 見られる = ability gained through conditions/effort
- 見えてきた = gradually came into view (a gradual process)
- がる = turns adjectives into transitive verbs for describing other people's feelings
- After がる, the object takes を instead of が
Self-Test
Q1. 「鳥の声が＿＿」 — You naturally hear birdsong in the morning. Fill in 聞こえる or 聞ける?
Show answer
聞こえる. The birdsong naturally reaches your ears without any conditions or effort, so you use 聞こえる.
Q2. Why can't you say 「彼は嬉しい」 to mean "he's happy"?
Show answer
Because Japanese emotional adjectives (嬉しい, 悲しい, etc.) can only directly describe the speaker's own feelings. For the third person, you must use がる: 「彼は嬉しがっている」. This is because you can't truly know what someone else feels inside — you can only describe them as "showing signs of being happy."
Q3. What's the difference between 「富士山が見えた」 and 「富士山が見えてきた」?
Show answer
- 見えた → Suddenly came into view (an instantaneous discovery)
- 見えてきた → Gradually came into view (slowly becoming visible as the weather changed or you got closer)
てきた emphasizes "a gradual process of change from past to present."