〜てみたところ: 'Upon Trying, I Found...' (Meaning + Examples)
Reporting the result of an attempt
〜てみたところ sets up a clause describing what happened right after trying something — a test, a question, a new method. The result that follows is usually the point of the sentence, often unexpected.
やったんが新しいレシピで作ってみたところ、意外とおいしくできた。
やったんが あたらしい レシピで つくってみたところ、いがいと おいしく できた。
When Yattan tried making it with the new recipe, it turned out surprisingly delicious.
てみたところ sets up the surprising result: おいしくできた.
先生に聞いてみたところ、その説明はどの教科書にも載っていないそうだ。
せんせいに きいてみたところ、その せつめいは どの きょうかしょにも のっていないそうだ。
When I asked the teacher, apparently that explanation isn't in any textbook.
データを詳しく調べてみたところ、原因は別のところにあることが分かった。
データを くわしく しらべてみたところ、げんいんは べつの ところに あることが わかった。
Upon investigating the data closely, it turned out the cause was somewhere else entirely.
Attaching to the te-form
〜てみたところ attaches to a verb's te-form + みる (try) + た (past) + ところ. It's a fixed sequence, always past tense, since it reports something that already happened.
| Attaches to | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (te-form) | Vてみたところ | 試してみたところ (upon trying it) |
| Followed by | 意外な／予想外の結果 | 〜たところ、〜ことが分かった |
モチが直接電話してみたところ、担当者はすでに退職していた。
モチが ちょくせつ でんわしてみたところ、たんとうしゃは すでに たいしょくしていた。
When Mochi called directly, it turned out the person in charge had already left the company.
A neutral, report-style tone typical of てみたところ.
Don't confuse with 〜たところ
〜たところ (without みる) simply means "just as/right when X happened" or "at the point where X had just finished" — no sense of "trying" is involved: 家を出たところで雨が降り出した ("just as I left the house, it started to rain"). 〜てみたところ specifically frames the preceding action as an attempt whose result is now being reported. Drop みる and you lose the "I tried it and here's what I found" nuance.
The short version
- 〜てみたところ = "when I tried doing [X], [result]" — reports the outcome of an attempt.
- Attaches to: verb (te-form) + みる + た + ところ.
- Nuance/register: neutral-to-formal, common in reports; the result is often unexpected.
- Don't confuse with: 〜たところ alone, which just marks timing ("just as/right when"), with no "trying" nuance.
Practice it
Choose てみたところ when the sentence reports the (often surprising) result of trying something.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
半信半疑でその薬を＿＿＿、思ったより効果があった。
Where 〜てみたところ fits
Shaky on this? Get these solid first
- Past Tense · N5 — The plain past た-form means 'did.' It follows the same sound changes as the て-form (just て→た, で→だ): 食べた, 行った, 飲んだ. Learn it by verb group.
- 〜てください · N5 — 〜てください is the standard way to politely ask someone to do something ('please do…'). Learn the formation, the negative 〜ないでください, softer variations, and see clear examples.
- 〜てみる · N4 — 〜てみる means to do something and see how it goes — to try it out. Learn the て-form + みる formation, how みる conjugates (てみた, てみよう), and how it differs from 〜たい.
More N2 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- 〜ほど — 〜ほど expresses degree or extent — 'to the point that,' as in 目の玉が飛び出るほど高い ('so expensive your eyes pop out'). It measures how far something goes by describing a vivid consequence or comparison.
- 〜に比べて — 〜に比べて attaches to a noun and means 'compared to / in comparison with,' setting up a baseline before stating how something differs from it: 去年に比べて、今年は暑い ('compared to last year, this year is hot').
- 〜てまで — 〜てまで attaches to the te-form of a verb to mean 'even to the extent of doing X' — usually to criticize going to an extreme length for something. It shows the speaker feels the action is excessive.
- 〜というより — 〜というより means 'rather than say [X], it's more accurate to say...' — it corrects or refines a description someone might expect. Often used to swap a first impression for a more precise word.
- 〜限り — 〜限り marks the outer limit of something — 'as long as / as far as ~ is concerned' when attached to a clause with に関する限り(では), or 'every last bit of' in set phrases like あらん限り. Both readings trace back to 限る, 'to be limited to.'
- 〜ていたって — 〜ていたって attaches to the て-form (as ている) to mean 'even if/though you're doing X, it won't change anything' — colloquial 頑張っていたって、無理なものは無理だ. It's a casual, spoken variant of ていても.