Japanese Grammar: と聞いた (to kiita) — How to say “I heard that…”

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Japanese Grammar: と聞いた (to kiita) — How to say “I heard that…”
Meaning & Usage

✨ Basic Meaning

‘I heard that…’ or ‘I have heard that…’

🎯 Primary Function

Reporting hearsay or information obtained through listening or reading.

📋 Grammar Structure

Verb (Plain form) + と聞いた/聞きました
i-Adj (Plain form) + と聞いた/聞きました
na-Adj + だ (Plain form) + と聞いた/聞きました
Short form (Negative) + と聞いた/聞きました

🎭 Usage Contexts

🏢 Formal Situations

Used in polite form (聞きました) when talking to superiors or in business settings.

😊 Informal Situations

Used in plain form (聞いた) when talking to friends or family.

✍️ Written Language

Used in emails and letters to relay news or rumors.

🗣️ Spoken Language

Commonly used to start conversations or share news.

💡 Common Applications

Relaying Information
Used when you want to share information you received from someone else or a medium.
Example: 「佐藤さんは明日休みだと聞いた。」 (I heard Sato-san is off tomorrow.)
Checking Facts
Often used to confirm whether information you heard is correct.
Example: 「来週試験があると聞きましたが、本当ですか？」 (I heard there is an exam next week, is it true?)
📊
Frequency
Very High
🎚️
Difficulty
JLPT N4 (Lower Intermediate)
Tag:

Related Kanji

JLPT N4 Kanji List

Related Vocabulary

JLPT N4 Vocabulary List
Example Sentences
Example #1
明日、雨が降ると聞いた。
Furigana: あした、あめがふるときいた。
Romaji: Ashita, ame ga furu to kiita.
English: I heard that it will rain tomorrow.
Example #2
彼はもう結婚したと聞いた。
Furigana: かれはもうけっこんしたときいた。
Romaji: Kare wa mou kekkon shita to kiita.
English: I heard that he already got married.
Example #3
あの店はとても有名だと聞いた。
Furigana: あのみせはとてもゆうめいだときいた。
Romaji: Ano mise wa totemo yuumei da to kiita.
English: I heard that shop is very famous.
Example #4
試験はそんなに難しくないと聞きました。
Furigana: しけんはそんなにむずかしくないとききました。
Romaji: Shiken wa sonna ni muzukashikunai to kikimashita.
English: I heard that the exam isn’t that difficult.
Example #5
田中さんは来週、日本へ帰ると聞いた。
Furigana: たなかさんはらいしゅう、にほんへかえるとときいた。
Romaji: Tanaka-san wa raishuu, Nihon e kaeru to kiita.
English: I heard Mr. Tanaka is returning to Japan next week.
Example #6
新しい先生はとても優しいと聞いた。
Furigana: あたらしいせんせいはとてもやさしいときいた。
Romaji: Atarashii sensei wa totemo yasashii to kiita.
English: I heard the new teacher is very kind.
Example #7
あそこのレストランはあまり美味しくないと聞いた。
Furigana: あそこのレストランはあまりおいしくないとときいた。
Romaji: Asoko no resutoran wa amari oishikunai to kiita.
English: I heard the restaurant over there isn’t very tasty.
Example #8
彼女は病気だと聞いたけれど、大丈夫かな？
Furigana: かのじょはびょうきだときいたけれど、だいじょうぶかな？
Romaji: Kanojo wa byouki da to kiita keredo, daijoubu kana?
English: I heard she was sick; I wonder if she’s okay?
Example #9
北海道の冬はとても寒いと聞いた。
Furigana: ほっかいどうのふゆはとてもさむいときいた。
Romaji: Hokkaido no fuyu wa totemo samui to kiita.
English: I heard winters in Hokkaido are very cold.
Example #10
この街は昔、森だったと聞いた。
Furigana: このまちはむかし、もりだったときいた。
Romaji: Kono machi wa mukashi, mori datta to kiita.
English: I heard this town used to be a forest.
Notes & Nuances

📌 Important Points

Source Specification
You can specify the source of information by adding “[Source] で”.
Example: 「ニュースで聞いた」 (I heard it on the news.)
Comparison with ‘to itte imashita’
‘To kiita’ focuses on the fact that YOU heard it, whereas ‘to itte imashita’ focuses on the fact that SOMEONE said it.
Example: 「～と言っていました」 (They said…)

⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌ 有名と聞いた (Yuumei to kiita)
✅ 有名だと聞いた (Yuumei da to kiita)
Na-adjectives and Nouns require “da” before “to kiita” in the plain form.

🏛️ Cultural Context

Politeness Level: Neutral to Polite depending on whether ‘kiita’ or ‘kikimashita’ is used.
Social Situations: Commonly used to introduce a topic of conversation based on hearsay.
Regional Variations: Standard across Japan.

🔍 Subtle Differences

～と聞いた vs ～そうです (hearsay)
‘To kiita’ is a personal report of hearing something, while ‘Sou desu’ is a more general ‘it is said that…’ and sounds slightly more objective or formal.
When to use: Use ‘To kiita’ when you want to emphasize that you personally received the information.

📝 Conjugation Notes

The verb ‘kiku’ (to hear/listen) is used in the past tense (kiita/kikimashita) because the act of hearing the information happened in the past.

🔊 Pronunciation Tips

Ensure the ‘to’ is short and clipped, leading into the ‘k’ sound of ‘kiita’.

🧠 Memory Tips

Think of the ‘to’ particle as a quotation mark, and ‘kiita’ as ‘heard’. So it literally translates to ‘I heard [quote]’.

Other Grammar

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