聞く vs 聴く, 見る vs 観る — Are You Using Sensory Verbs Correctly?

In English, "hear" and "listen" are two distinct words, so you might think Japanese would be similar. It is — but the twist is that both are pronounced kiku, and only the kanji tells them apart. The same goes for "see" and "watch," where Japanese has not two but four different kanji for the single reading miru. Let's break down the sensory verb pairs you need to know.

聞く vs 聴く: Hearing vs Active Listening

These two share the same reading きく, but their kanji reveal different attitudes:

隣の部屋から音楽が聞こえる。 → I can hear music from the next room. (natural, passive)

毎朝、ラジオを聞きます。 → I listen to the radio every morning. (habitual, not necessarily focused)

好きなアーティストの新曲を聴く。 → I'm listening carefully to my favorite artist's new song. (focused appreciation)

クラシックコンサートを聴きに行った。 → I went to hear a classical concert. (deliberate, attentive)

Quick Decision Rule

• Background sounds, overhearing something → 聞く
• Music appreciation, lectures, heartfelt listening → 聴く
• When in doubt, use 聞く — it's the all-purpose default

Tip: 聞く also means "to ask" — 先生に聞きました (I asked the teacher). 聴く never has this meaning.

見る vs 観る vs 看る vs 診る: Four Ways to "See"

みる might be the Japanese verb with the most kanji variants. Here are the four:

窓の外を見た。 → I looked outside the window. (general "see")

映画を観に行こう！ → Let's go see a movie! (appreciating entertainment)

母が祖母を看ている。 → My mother is taking care of my grandmother. (caregiving)

医者に診てもらった。 → I had the doctor examine me. (medical examination)

Practical Advice

In everyday writing, 見る is the safe default. Writing 映画を見る instead of 映画を観る is perfectly fine. Use 観る, 看る, 診る when you want to be precise about the nuance.

触る vs 触れる: Touching vs Making Contact

赤ちゃんのほっぺを触った。 → I touched the baby's cheek. (casual, everyday touching)

手と手が触れた。 → Our hands touched. (light, perhaps accidental contact)

その話題には触れないでください。 → Please don't touch on that topic. (figurative — "bring up")

Note the particle difference: 触る typically takes に触る or を触る, while 触れる usually takes に触れる.

嗅ぐ vs 匂う: Smelling vs Giving Off a Scent

花の香りを嗅いだ。 → I smelled the flowers. (leaned in to sniff)

この部屋はいい匂いがする。 → This room smells nice. (scent naturally present)

何か焦げた匂いがする。 → Something smells burnt. (passively noticed)

Note: Bad smells often use the kanji 臭う, written differently but sometimes read the same way. In everyday speech, 匂い can refer to both pleasant and unpleasant smells.

感じる vs 覚える: Feeling vs Sensing/Memorizing

春の風を感じる。 → I feel the spring breeze. (sensory experience)

違和感を感じる。 → I sense something is off. (intuitive feeling)

新しい単語を覚える。 → I'm memorizing new vocabulary. (storing in memory)

寒気を覚えた。 → I felt a chill. (literary/formal — physical sensation)

When 覚える means "to feel," it sounds more literary than 感じる. For everyday conversation about feelings and sensations, 感じる is the natural choice.

Cultural Note: Kanji Choice Reflects Attitude

In Japanese, which kanji you choose isn't just about meaning — it signals your attitude:

• Writing 音楽を聴く instead of 聞く implies you're seriously appreciating the music
• Writing 映画を観る instead of 見る suggests you view cinema as an art form
• Using precise kanji in formal writing demonstrates your Japanese proficiency

That said, the default kanji (聞く, 見る) are perfectly acceptable in casual texts and notes. Overusing rare kanji variants can actually come across as pretentious.

Summary

• 聞く (passively hear / ask) vs 聴く (actively listen) — when in doubt, use 聞く
• 見る (general seeing) vs 観る (appreciate) vs 看る (care for) vs 診る (diagnose) — when in doubt, use 見る
• 触る (touch casually) vs 触れる (make light contact / touch upon a topic) — 触れる has figurative uses
• 嗅ぐ (actively smell) vs 匂う (give off a scent) — opposite directions of action
• 感じる (feel/sense) vs 覚える (memorize / literary "feel") — use 感じる for everyday feelings

Practice Quiz

Q1. Fill in the correct kanji: コンサートで好きな曲を＿＿いた (きいた).

Q2. Which みる goes here? 「医者に＿＿てもらった (みてもらった)」

Q3. Fill in the blanks: 「花の香りを＿＿いだ」 and 「この部屋はいい＿＿いがする」.