Japanese Grammar: ～てみる (Te-miru) – To Try Doing Something

By /
Japanese Grammar: ～てみる (Te-miru) – To Try Doing Something
Meaning & Usage

✨ Basic Meaning

To try doing something to see what it is like or what the result will be.

🎯 Primary Function

Expressing an attempt or experimental action to gain experience or information.

📋 Grammar Structure

Verb (Te-form) + みる
i-adj (-い) + くて + みる (rarely used, usually as verb)
na-adj + で + みる (rarely used, usually as verb)
Verb (Te-form) + みない

🎭 Usage Contexts

🏢 Formal Situations

Used with polite forms like ～てみます or ～てみました in professional or polite settings.

😊 Informal Situations

Used with dictionary form ～てみる or past form ～てみた among friends and family.

✍️ Written Language

Common in essays, journals, and instructions.

🗣️ Spoken Language

Extremely common in daily conversation when suggesting or deciding to try things.

💡 Common Applications

Trying food/drinks
Used when tasting something for the first time.
Example: 食べてみる (Try eating)
Trying on clothes
Used when testing the fit or look of clothing.
Example: 着てみる (Try wearing)
Experimental actions
Used when performing an action to see if it works or if one can do it.
Example: やってみる (Try doing)
📊
Frequency
Very High
🎚️
Difficulty
JLPT N4
Tag:

Related Kanji

JLPT N4 Kanji List

Related Vocabulary

JLPT N4 Vocabulary List
Example Sentences
Example #1
おいしそうなので、食べてみます。
Furigana: おいしそうなので、たべてみます。
Romaji: Oishisou na node, tabete mimasu.
English: It looks delicious, so I’ll try eating it.
Example #2
この靴を履いてみてもいいですか？
Furigana: このくつをはいてみてもいいですか？
Romaji: Kono kutsu o haite mite mo ii desu ka?
English: May I try these shoes on?
Example #3
新しい辞書を使ってみました。
Furigana: あたらしいじしょをつかってみました。
Romaji: Atarashii jisho o tsukatte mimashita.
English: I tried using the new dictionary.
Example #4
一度日本へ行ってみたいです。
Furigana: いちどにほんへいってみたいです。
Romaji: Ichido Nihon e itte mitai desu.
English: I want to try going to Japan once.
Example #5
難しいかもしれないけど、やってみる。
Furigana: むずかしいかもしれないけど、やってみる。
Romaji: Muzukashii kamo shirenai kedo, yatte miru.
English: It might be difficult, but I’ll give it a try.
Example #6
友達に聞いてみます。
Furigana: ともだちにきいてみます。
Romaji: Tomodachi ni kiite mimasu.
English: I’ll try asking my friend.
Example #7
この歌を歌ってみてください。
Furigana: このうたをうたってみてください。
Romaji: Kono uta o utatte mite kudasai.
English: Please try singing this song.
Example #8
日本語で手紙を書いてみました。
Furigana: にほんごでてがみをかいてみました。
Romaji: Nihongo de tegami o kaite mimashita.
English: I tried writing a letter in Japanese.
Example #9
面白そうだから、読んでみるね。
Furigana: おもしろそうだから、よんでみるね。
Romaji: Omoshirosou dakara, yonde miru ne.
English: It looks interesting, so I’ll try reading it.
Example #10
納豆を食べてみたが、あまり好きではなかった。
Furigana: なっとうをたべてみたが、あまりすきではなかった。
Romaji: Nattō o tabete mita ga, amari suki de wa nakatta.
English: I tried eating natto, but I didn’t like it much.
Notes & Nuances

📌 Important Points

Use Hiragana for ‘miru’
‘Miru’ is almost always written in Hiragana when used in this grammar pattern, not Kanji (見).
Example: 富士山に登ってみた。
Focus on exploration
Unlike ‘try’ in English which can mean ‘attempting with effort,’ ‘~te miru’ implies ‘trying to see the result.’
Example: 頑張ってみます (I will try my best).

⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌ 日本語を勉強するつもりってみる。
✅ 日本語を勉強してみる。
‘Te miru’ is used for actions, while ‘tsumori’ is used for intentions/plans. Use ‘te miru’ for the act of trying it out.

🏛️ Cultural Context

Politeness Level: Standard polite or casual depending on the ending of ‘miru’.
Social Situations: Very useful when shopping (trying clothes) or dining out.
Regional Variations: None specifically, but in Kansai dialect, ‘te miru’ might become ‘te mi’.

🔍 Subtle Differences

～てみる vs ～ようとする
‘~te miru’ is trying for experience; ‘~you to suru’ is attempting/struggling to do something.
When to use: Use ‘~te miru’ when you are curious about the outcome.

📝 Conjugation Notes

The ‘miru’ part conjugates exactly like the Group 2 (Ichidan) verb ‘miru’ (to see). Example: みます, みて, みた, みない.

🔊 Pronunciation Tips

The emphasis is usually on the main verb’s te-form, with ‘miru’ following naturally.

🧠 Memory Tips

Think of it as ‘doing something and then seeing (miru) what happens.’ It’s the literal combination of ‘doing’ and ‘seeing’.

Other Grammar

Related Posts

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top