Choose an action that matches the medium and purpose. Practise reading a message, watching a film, listening to music, and asking a person a question.
A medium can change the verb
読む describes reading written language: 本を読む and メールを読む. 見る covers seeing, looking, and watching in many ordinary contexts: 写真を見る and 映画を見る. 聞く covers hearing or listening and also asking: 音楽を聞く and 先生に聞く.
The characters 観る and 聴く can express more specific nuances, but beginners can use the standard spellings 見る and 聞く in the ordinary examples here. This page does not assign a different compulsory kanji to every English verb.
Mark the person you ask
先生に聞きます identifies the person asked. 名前を聞きます identifies the information asked for. In 先生に名前を聞きます, both roles can appear together. Read the particle before deciding which noun is a person and which is the content of the question.
Examples to read before you practise
Japanese | Reading / English |
|---|---|
本を読む | ほんをよむ — read a book |
メールを読む | メールをよむ — read email |
映画を見る | えいがをみる — watch a film |
写真を見る | しゃしんをみる — look at a photo |
音楽を聞く | おんがくをきく — listen to music |
先生に聞く | せんせいにきく — ask the teacher |
名前を聞く | なまえをきく — ask someone’s name |
話を聞く | はなしをきく — listen to someone’s story |
Try six questions
Try these self-check questions from memory, then compare your answers with the explanations. For automatic checking and saved progress, open the related practice after this article.
本を（ ）。 Dictionary verb for read.
映画を（ ）。 Use the standard dictionary verb 見る.
音楽を（ ）。 Use 聞く in dictionary form.
先生（ ）聞きます。 Mark the person you ask.
名前（ ）聞きます。 Mark the information requested.
読む → polite non-past
Answer key and explanations
読む / よむ — Written text is read with 読む.
見る / みる — 映画を見る means watch a film.
聞く / きく — 聞く can mean listen.
に — に marks the person asked.
を — 名前 is the object of asking here.
読みます / よみます — The polite stem is 読み.
Keep learning
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Try what you have just read
Recognise the pattern, write an answer from memory, then use it in a short reading. Your existing progress carries over.
Open the three-step lessonSources
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