聞こえる・きこえる (be audible)

Japanese Grammar Basic Japanese ★★★★ 4/5 neutral きこえるkikoeru
読み きこえる
ローマ字 kikoeru
形 (Person + に/は +) Sound + が + 聞こえる
漢字の分解 聞 (bun/ki) = hear, listen

意味

Expresses that a sound is naturally and spontaneously audible to someone. The sound source is marked with が, indicating that hearing happens passively without the listener's deliberate effort.

Parallel to 見える for sight, 聞こえる describes sounds that reach the listener naturally — birdsong drifting in through a window, music coming from a neighbour's room, or a voice carrying across a hallway. It contrasts with 聞く, which means to listen actively or to ask. Because the hearing is involuntary, the experiencer takes に or は rather than being the grammatical subject. 聞こえる can also describe how something sounds in quality: 彼の声は優しく聞こえる (his voice sounds gentle). The negative 聞こえない is commonly used to indicate that something is too quiet or unclear to hear.

例文

  1. 隣の部屋から音楽が聞こえる。
  2. 鳥の声が聞こえますか。
  3. 電話の声がよく聞こえません。

使い方ガイド

場面: spoken, written, everyday

トーン: descriptive

正しい言い方

  • 川の流れる音が聞こえる。
  • その話は嘘に聞こえます。
  • もう少し大きい声で話してください。聞こえません。

避ける言い方

  • 音楽を聞こえる。(Using を instead of が — the audible thing takes が because hearing is spontaneous) → 音楽が聞こえる。
  • 私がラジオが聞こえる。(Using が for the listener — the listener takes は or に, not が) → 私にはラジオが聞こえる。
  • この曲を聞こえたい。(Adding たい to 聞こえる — spontaneous verbs do not take volitional forms; use 聞きたい instead) → この曲を聞きたい。

起源と歴史

Derived from 聞く (to hear/listen) with the spontaneous suffix える, forming a perception verb that indicates involuntary hearing. The kanji 聞 depicts an ear at a gate, suggesting sounds reaching the ear.

文化的背景

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal

関連フレーズ

ある (existence of inanimate things) Indicates that an inanimate object exists or is located somewhere. It is the counterpart of いる, which is used for animate beings. ある is one of the most fundamental verbs in Japanese and is essential for describing the presence or location of things. いる (existence of animate things) Indicates that an animate being — a person, animal, or other living creature — exists or is located somewhere. It is the animate counterpart of ある and is one of the first verbs learners must master for describing who or what is present. いる (progressive / ongoing state) Used after the て-form of a verb to indicate that an action is currently in progress or that a state resulting from a past action continues. This is the most common way to express the English present progressive ('is doing') in Japanese. する (causing a state or action) The verb する is used to indicate that someone or something causes a state or action to take place. It is the most basic and widely used verb in Japanese, functioning as 'to do' and forming the basis of hundreds of compound verbs with nouns. 分かる・わかる (understand) Expresses that something becomes clear, understandable, or known to someone spontaneously. The thing understood is marked with が, and the person who understands is marked with に or は. It describes a natural, involuntary process of comprehension. 好きだ・すきだ (like) A na-adjective that expresses liking or fondness for something or someone. The liked object is marked with が, and the person who likes is marked with は. It functions as an adjective describing a state of preference, not a verb. 知る・しる (come to know) Describes acquiring information or knowledge from an external source. The basic form 知る indicates the moment of learning something new, while the te-form 知っている expresses the resulting state of knowing. ある (resultant state) Used after the て-form of a transitive verb to indicate that something has been done and the resulting state remains. This pattern emphasises the current condition that resulted from a completed action, rather than the action itself.
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