見る
みる
miru
Conjugation
= to see / to watch
| Form | Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dictionary form The plain form you find in a dictionary |
見る みる |
miru | to see |
| Masu form Polite present / future |
見ます みます |
mimasu | see (polite) |
| Te form Connects clauses, makes requests |
見て みて |
mite | seeing / and see |
| Ta form Plain past |
見た みた |
mita | saw |
| Nai form Plain negative |
見ない みない |
minai | not see |
| Masen form Polite negative |
見ません みません |
mimasen | not see (polite) |
| Nakatta form Plain past negative |
見なかった みなかった |
minakatta | did not see |
| Potential form Can / be able to |
見られる みられる |
mirareru | can see / able to watch |
| Volitional form Let’s / I think I’ll |
見よう みよう |
miyou | let’s watch / shall see |
Miru (見る) is the everyday Japanese verb for to see or to watch, used for everything from glancing at a photo to sitting through a whole movie.
Miru is an ichidan verb, and the test that proves it has nothing to do with meaning. Ichidan verbs end in -iru or -eru, and their negative and masu forms are built by simply dropping the final ru and attaching the ending directly to what is left: minai, mimasu. A godan verb that happens to end in -iru or -eru instead shifts its vowel first, so kaeru (to return) becomes kaeranai, not kaenai. Because miru is only two moras, mi and ru, the stem left after dropping ru is a single syllable, which throws learners off since it barely feels like a stem at all. Miru‘s actual negative is minai, not miranai: no vowel shift before the ending, which is the ichidan pattern, confirming the group despite the short stem.
Reach for mimasu when the listener is a stranger, a coworker, or anyone you would use polite speech with, such as telling a coworker you plan to watch the recording later. Mite is the connector form: it links miru to another clause, turns into a request when it stands alone at the end of a sentence, and shows up when someone is physically pointing something out to you. Mita and minakatta report a completed viewing or the absence of one in plain speech, while mimasen and its past mimasendeshita would do the same politely. Mirareru is for when seeing something depends on circumstance, permission, or opportunity rather than just choosing to look. Miyou proposes watching or looking at something together, the kind of line that starts a plan rather than describes one already in motion.
Everyday use
電車の中で猫が寝ているのを見た。
Densha no naka de neko ga nete iru no o mita.
I saw a cat sleeping inside the train.
Casual / Social Media
これ見て、めっちゃ可愛い！
Kore mite, meccha kawaii!
Look at this, it’s so cute!
Formal / Cultural context
展示会で貴重な資料を見られました。
Tenjikai de kichou na shiryou o miraremashita.
At the exhibition, I was able to see some valuable documents.
One form to watch is the negative: because miru looks so short, some reach for miranai by analogy with godan verbs, when the correct drop-ru pattern gives minai. The bigger confusion is a three-way mix-up between miru, mieru (見える, to be visible, something enters your view without you choosing to look), and mirareru (the potential form of miru, meaning you are able to watch or see something, often because of permission or a chance to do so). A mountain that is mieru from your window is simply visible; a movie you can watch (mirareru) is one you have the chance to see. Swapping these changes whether the sentence is about visibility or ability, not just style.