～てみる (try doing)

• Reading: みる
• Romaji: miru
• Formation: Verb て-form + みる/みます
• Kanji breakdown: 見 (けん/み.る) — see, look, try

Meaning

An auxiliary verb construction where みる follows the て form to express trying or attempting an action to see what happens or what it is like. It conveys the nuance of doing something experimentally or for the first time.

When みる follows a verb in て form, it adds the meaning of 'try doing to see.' The core idea comes from みる meaning 'to see' — you perform the action in order to observe the result. This is used when suggesting someone try something new, when expressing willingness to attempt something, or when describing an experience undertaken out of curiosity. It differs from the volitional ～よう, which expresses intention without the 'see what happens' nuance. てみる is softer and less committal — it implies openness to the outcome. It is extremely common in everyday conversation for recommendations, suggestions, and polite requests. The polite form てみます and the past てみた are particularly frequent.

Examples

1. 新しいレストランに行ってみた。 I tried going to the new restaurant.
2. この靴を履いてみてもいいですか。 May I try on these shoes?
3. 一度日本料理を作ってみたい。 I want to try making Japanese food sometime.

Usage Guide

Context: spoken, written, everyday

Tone: suggestive

Do Say

• このケーキ、食べてみてください。
• 日本に住んでみたいです。
• 自分で調べてみます。
• 一回やってみよう。

Don't Say

• このケーキ、食べてみてみてください。(Doubling みて creates redundancy — use てみてください once) → このケーキ、食べてみてください。
• 毎日走ってみている。(Using てみる for habitual actions — てみる implies a one-time trial, not a routine) → 毎日走っている。
• 昨日も走ってみた。今日も走ってみた。(Repeated use of てみる for the same routine activity loses the trial nuance) → 昨日も走った。今日も走った。

Origin & History

みる literally means 'to see' or 'to look.' When used as an auxiliary after て form, the metaphor is that you do the action in order to 'see' the result — effectively trying something out to observe what happens.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal