〜てみる: How to Say 'Try Doing Something' (Meaning + Examples)
The "and see" it lays on the verb
Bolt みる onto a verb and you add a single layer of meaning: you do the action to see what happens. The verb still means what it always meant — 行く is still "go," 飲む is still "drink" — but 〜てみる tags it as exploratory. You're testing, sampling, giving it a shot, without knowing the result yet.
That colours the tone. 〜てみる is light and provisional; it does not claim you definitely want to do the thing (that would be 〜たい). It only says you'll attempt it and find out.
ヤッタンは新しいレストランに行ってみる。
ヤッタンは あたらしい レストランに いって みる。
Yattan will try going to the new restaurant.
モチ、このお茶を飲んでみて。
モチ、この おちゃを のんで みて。
Mochi, try drinking this tea.
〜てみて is the casual request form: 'try doing it.'
先生に聞いてみます。
せんせいに きいて みます。
I'll try asking the teacher.
What it attaches to, and how みる bends
〜てみる pairs with essentially any action verb — anything you can attempt and judge the result of. You attach it to the verb's て-form, which follows the normal rules: 行く → 行ってみる, 飲む → 飲んでみる, する → してみる.
From there, みる carries the tense and mood. It behaves like an ordinary る-verb (ichidan), so every usual ending lands on it:
| Form | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Plain | 〜てみる | 食べてみる (try eating) |
| Past | 〜てみた | 食べてみた (tried eating) |
| Negative | 〜てみない | 食べてみない (won't try eating) |
| Volitional | 〜てみよう | 食べてみよう (let's try eating) |
| Polite | 〜てみます | 食べてみます (will try eating) |
| Te-request | 〜てみて(ください) | 食べてみて (try eating it) |
One spelling rule rides along: as a helper, みる is written in hiragana — 食べてみる, not 食べて見る. The kanji 見る is reserved for actually looking at something with your eyes; here you aren't literally looking, so keep it in kana. Writing 食べて見る reads as off to native readers.
ヤッタンは漢字で名前を書いてみた。
ヤッタンは かんじで なまえを かいて みた。
Yattan tried writing his name in kanji.
弟は一人で電車に乗ってみた。
おとうとは ひとりで でんしゃに のって みた。
Yattan's little brother tried taking the train by himself.
Suggesting and inviting with 〜てみよう
Because みる takes the volitional freely, 〜てみよう ("let's try…") is a natural way to propose giving something a go together:
新しいゲーム、やってみよう！
あたらしい ゲーム、やって みよう！
Let's try playing the new game!
モチと一緒に作ってみよう。
モチと いっしょに つくって みよう。
Let's try making it together with Mochi.
To politely ask someone else to try something, you'll often reach for 〜てみてください ("please try doing…").
Set against 〜たい and the plain verb
The plain verb just states the action; 〜てみる adds the "and see." The near-neighbour that trips learners up is 〜たい, because both hover around "wanting / trying" — but they say different things:
| Form | Core idea | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜てみる | do it and see how it goes (try out) | 食べてみる = try eating it (and see) |
| 〜たい | want to do it (desire) | 食べたい = want to eat it |
| 〜てみたい | want to try doing it (the two combined) | 食べてみたい = want to try eating it |
Stack them and you get 〜てみたい — "want to try doing": 一度行ってみたい ("I want to try going there once"). And remember the other neighbour to keep apart: the helper みる (kana, "try and see") versus 見る (kanji, "literally look").
The short version
- 〜てみる = do something and see — try it out.
- It attaches to the て-form; write みる in kana.
- みる conjugates like a る-verb: てみた, てみない, てみよう, てみます.
- Want to try? Combine into 〜てみたい. Politely ask with 〜てみてください.
Practice it
Choose the correct 〜てみる form for each sentence.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
Choose the grammar pattern that best completes the sentence.
ヤッタンは新しいレストランに行っ＿＿＿。
Frequently asked questions
What does 〜てみる mean?
It means to do something and see how it goes — to try it out. 食べてみる is 'try eating it (and see),' 行ってみる is 'try going.' It comes from みる ('to see').
Is みる written 見る or みる here?
In this grammar it's written in kana: 食べてみる, not 食べて見る. The kanji 見る is only for literally looking at something.
How do I say 'let's try'?
Use the volitional 〜てみよう: やってみよう ('let's try doing it'). To politely ask someone to try, use 〜てみてください.
What's the difference between 〜てみる and 〜たい?
〜てみる is 'try it and see,' while 〜たい is 'want to do it.' Combine them for 〜てみたい, 'want to try doing.'
Where 〜てみる fits
Shaky on this? Get these solid first
- 〜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.
- 〜てみたい · N5 — 〜てみたい means you want to try doing something: 日本に行ってみたい. Learn how it combines 〜てみる ('try doing') and 〜たい ('want'), plus how to conjugate it.
- 〜てみてください · N5 — 〜てみる means to do something and see how it goes (try it out). Add ください for 〜てみてください — a friendly 'please give it a try.' Learn the form, conjugations, and casual 〜てみて.
- The て-form · N5 — The て-form is the gateway to dozens of Japanese grammar patterns. Learn the conjugation rules for every verb group, the famous song trick, and see clear examples.
Don't confuse it with
- 〜てみたい · N5 — 〜てみたい means you want to try doing something: 日本に行ってみたい. Learn how it combines 〜てみる ('try doing') and 〜たい ('want'), plus how to conjugate it.
Once this clicks, go on to
- 〜てみてください · N5 — 〜てみる means to do something and see how it goes (try it out). Add ください for 〜てみてください — a friendly 'please give it a try.' Learn the form, conjugations, and casual 〜てみて.
Hear it in a real conversation
See this pattern used naturally in a real-situation dialogue:
More N4 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- 〜てすみません — 〜てすみません attaches すみません to a verb's て-form to say 'sorry for (doing).' Learn the formation, the negative 〜なくてすみません, and polite 〜て申し訳ありません.
- 〜てよかった — 〜てよかった adds よかった to a verb's て-form to say 'I'm glad that…': 日本に来てよかった. Learn the formation, the negative 〜なくてよかった, and how it shows relief.
- 全然・あまり・そんなに + Negative — 全然, あまり, and そんなに pair with a negative to say 'not at all,' 'not very,' and 'not so much.' Learn each pattern, the casual 全然 + positive, and the common negative-dropping mistake.
- 〜かもしれない — かもしれない means 'might' or 'maybe' — it shows you're unsure. Learn how it attaches to plain verbs, adjectives, and nouns, plus the casual かも and how it ranks against でしょう and はず.
- Potential Form — The potential form means 'can / be able to': 食べる→食べられる, 書く→書ける, する→できる. Learn how to form it by verb group, the が particle shift, and ら-抜き.
- 〜ようになる — 〜ようになる describes a change — something that wasn't true or possible before, but now is. Learn the formation, nuance, and see 12 example sentences with a quick practice quiz.