Japanese

こえる

きこえる
Meaning: to be heard; to be audible
Part of Speech: Verb

Listen to pronunciation

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Verb inflections

Form Affirmative Negative
Present 聞こえる 聞こえない
Polite 聞こえます 聞こえません
Past 聞こえた 聞こえなかった
Polite + Past 聞こえました 聞こえませんでした
Te-form 聞こえて 聞こえなくて
Potential 聞こえられる 聞こえられない
Passive 聞こえられる 聞こえられない
Causative 聞こえさせる 聞こえさせない
Imperative 聞こえろ 聞こえるな

Handwriting

聞
こ
え
る

Example sentences

I can hear birds singing from outside.
隣の部屋から声が聞こえる
I can hear voices from the next room.
夜中に妙な音が聞こえて、目が覚めてしまった。
I woke up because I heard a strange sound in the middle of the night.
隣の部屋から楽しそうな笑い声が聞こえてきた。
Cheerful laughter could be heard from the next room.
彼女は誰にも聞こえないような小さな声で何かを呟いた。
She muttered something in a low voice that no one could hear.
もしもし、聞こえますか?
Hello, can you hear me?
二人は周りに聞こえないように小声で話していた。
The two were talking in low voices so those around them wouldn't hear.
遠くからかすかな声が聞こえる。
I hear a faint voice from afar.
誰かの声が聞こえたような気がしたが、気のせいだった。
I thought I heard someone's voice, but it was just my imagination.
助けを求める叫びが聞こえた。
I heard a cry for help.

Usage Notes

Used when a sound naturally reaches one's ears without effort.

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