English–Japanese

“hear” in Japanese

Japanese

Pronunciation

Romajikiku

Example

犬の鳴き声を聞きました。inu no na ki goe o ki ki ma shi ta

I heard a dog barking.

Illustration for 聞く (hear)

How to say “hear” in Japanese

“Hear” in Japanese is 聞く (kiku).

It covers receiving sound, choosing to pay attention to it, and obtaining information by putting a question to someone.

Full entry for 聞く: usage tips, similar words and word origin

Example sentences with 聞く

毎朝、鳥の声を聞きます。mai asa tori no koe o ki ki ma su

I hear birds every morning.

駅で大きな音を聞きました。eki de ō ki na oto o ki ki ma shi ta

I heard a loud noise at the station.

Tips for using 聞く

  • English separates hear, listen, and ask, but 聞く (kiku) uses one polite form, 聞きます (kikimasu), for all three senses and relies on context to distinguish them.

“hear” in other languages