見惚れる

• 読み: みとれる
• ローマ字: mitoreru
• 漢字の分解: 見 (ken/mi) — see, look; 惚 (ko/hore) — fascinated, smitten, entranced
• 発音: /mi.to.ɾe.ɾɯ/

意味

To be captivated; to be fascinated; to stare in admiration and lose oneself in gazing at something beautiful.

A Group 2 (ichidan) verb combining 見 (to look) and 惚れる (to fall for, to be enamoured). The compound describes the state of being so struck by beauty, elegance, or extraordinary skill that one forgets oneself and simply gazes. Unlike 見とれる (an alternate reading of the same characters sometimes considered more standard in speech), 見惚れる emphasises the romantic or aesthetic enchantment. Both readings are accepted.

例文

1. 夕暮れの富士山の美しさに、しばらく見惚れて立ち尽くしてしまった。
2. 彼女の演奏があまりにも見事で、観客全員が見惚れていた。
3. ショーウィンドウの宝石に見惚れて、気がつけば一時間も経っていた。

使い方ガイド

場面: nature, art, performance, aesthetic experience

トーン: admiring

起源と歴史

Compound of 見 (mi — to look) and 惚れる (horeru — to fall for, to be smitten). The kanji 惚 depicts a heart overcome, expressing the idea of the mind going blank in the face of something compelling.

文化的背景

時代: Modern

世代: All ages

社会的背景: All classes