Japanese has a family of "auxiliary verbs" that attach to the て-form to add extra meaning to an action. ておく and てみる are two of the most practical ones.
ておく: Prepare in Advance / Leave As Is
Usage 1: Do Something in Advance
The core meaning of ておく is "do something ahead of time for future benefit."
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旅行に行く前にホテルを予約しておく。 → Book a hotel before going on the trip.
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明日のプレゼンのために資料を準備しておいた。 → Prepared the materials in advance for tomorrow's presentation.
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試験の前に、教科書を読んでおいてください。 → Please read the textbook before the exam.
Key nuance: You're not doing it for now — you're doing it because it'll be useful later.
Usage 2: Leave It Alone
ておく can also mean the opposite — "just leave it as it is, don't touch it."
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そのままにしておいてください。 → Please leave it as it is.
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子供が寝ているから、起こさないでおこう。 → The child is sleeping, so let's not wake them up.
Colloquial Contraction: とく
In spoken Japanese, ておく is almost always contracted to とく:
| Formal | Casual |
|---|---|
| 買っておく | 買っとく |
| 読んでおいて | 読んどいて |
| 調べておいた | 調べといた |
In everyday conversation, the contracted form is much more natural. 「ホテル予約しといたよ」 sounds better than 「予約しておいたよ」.
てみる: Try Doing Something
てみる means "try doing something to see what happens" — the focus is on doing it for the first time or being uncertain about the outcome.
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この料理を食べてみる。 → I'll try eating this dish.
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日本語で手紙を書いてみた。 → I tried writing a letter in Japanese.
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一度東京に行ってみたい。 → I'd like to visit Tokyo once.
Key nuance: You don't know what the result will be, so you "give it a shot."
When NOT to Use てみる
If you already know the outcome, or the action is routine, てみる doesn't fit:
- ❌ 毎朝ご飯を食べてみる。 (Trying to eat breakfast every morning? That's weird.)
- ✅ 毎朝ご飯を食べる。 (I eat breakfast every morning.)
Comparison
| ておく | てみる | |
|---|---|---|
| Core meaning | Prepare in advance / leave alone | Try to see what happens |
| Time orientation | Toward the future | Toward the unknown |
| Casual contraction | とく | None |
| Typical scene | Booking a hotel before a trip | Trying a dish for the first time |
Self-Test
Q1. 「明日テストがあるから、今日＿＿。」(There's a test tomorrow, so I'll study in advance today.) Should you use ておく or てみる?
Show answer
ておく. This is preparation for tomorrow's test: 「今日勉強しておく。」
Q2. 「初めての納豆だから、＿＿。」(It's my first time with natto, so I'll give it a try.)
Show answer
てみる. First time trying something with an uncertain outcome: 「食べてみる。」
Q3. What does 「買っとく」 mean?
Show answer
It's the casual contraction of 「買っておく」, meaning "buy it in advance / buy it and have it ready."
Summary
- ておく: Do something in advance for future benefit, or leave something alone
- てみる: Try doing something to see what happens; focus on uncertain outcomes
- Casual speech: ておく → とく (買っておく → 買っとく)
- ておく looks toward the future; てみる looks toward the unknown