見 — Kanji Meaning, Readings & Example Words (JLPT N5)
What it means
At its core, 見 is all about seeing, looking, and showing. You'll meet it in two roles: as a standalone verb with hiragana endings (見る "to see," 見える "to be visible," 見せる "to show") and as a building block inside compound words (意見 "opinion," 見学 "a study visit," 発見 "a discovery"). The payoff is simple — whenever 見 turns up in an unfamiliar word, you can bet it has something to do with looking or seeing, which gives you a real head start on the meaning.
Readings
| Type | Reading | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| kun'yomi | み.る | 見る (to see, to watch) |
| kun'yomi | み.える | 見える (to be visible) |
| kun'yomi | み.せる | 見せる (to show) |
| on'yomi | ケン | 意見 (opinion), 見学 (study visit), 発見 (discovery) |
Here's a rule of thumb that works for most kanji: the kun'yomi (み.る and friends) shows up when the kanji stands more or less alone with hiragana endings, while the on'yomi (ケン) appears inside two-kanji compound words. So 見る uses み.る, but 意見 uses ケン. With 見, watch out for the three closely related kun verbs — 見る (to see), 見える (to be visible, to look like), and 見せる (to show someone). They share the み root but mean different things.
Stroke order & radical
- Strokes: 7, written top to bottom — the small "eye" box (目) on top first, then the two "legs" (儿) underneath.
- Radical: 見 is its own radical, the "see" radical (みる). It's essentially an eye (目) on legs — a person walking around using their eyes to look. You'll find 見 inside other sight-related kanji too, such as 親 (parent) and 観 (to view).
Recognizing the eye-on-legs shape makes 見 easy to pick out at a glance, and it explains the meaning at the same time.
Common words using 見
Notice the reading split in action: the lone verbs 見る, 見える, and 見せる all take the み. kun'yomi, while every compound (意見, 見学, 発見) flips to ケン. That's the rule of thumb above, working exactly as advertised.
Example sentences
ヤッタンは毎晩アニメを見ます。
ヤッタンは まいばん アニメを みます。
Yattan watches anime every night.
見る — the kun'yomi み.る reading.
モチの家から海が見えます。
モチの いえから うみが みえます。
You can see the sea from Mochi's house.
見える (み.える) — 'to be visible,' a different kun verb from 見る.
弟は先生に作文を見せて、意見をもらいました。
おとうとは せんせいに さくぶんを みせて、いけんを もらいました。
My little brother showed his essay to the teacher and got some feedback.
Two readings in one sentence: 見せて (み.せる) and 意見 (ケン).
Quick recap
- 見 = see / look; 7 strokes; it's the "see" radical itself (an eye on legs).
- み.る / み.える / み.せる when it stands alone — to see, to be visible, to show.
- ケン in compounds (意見, 見学, 発見).
Your turn
Choose the correct reading of 見 in each word.
Start the 5-question drill →Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between 見る, 見える, and 見せる?
見る (みる) is 'to see / watch' (you do the looking). 見える (みえる) is 'to be visible / can be seen' (something appears to your eyes). 見せる (みせる) is 'to show someone' (you let another person see).
How do you read 見 in 見る vs 意見?
In 見る it's the kun'yomi み (見る = みる, 'to see'). In 意見 it's the on'yomi ケン (意見 = いけん, 'opinion'). As a rule, two-kanji compounds take the on'yomi ケン.
How many strokes does 見 have?
見 has 7 strokes. Write the 目 'eye' box on top first, then the two legs (儿) underneath. 見 is also the 'see' radical.
Why does 見 look like an eye with legs?
That's exactly what it is — the top (目) is an eye and the bottom (儿) is a pair of legs, picturing a person walking around and looking. The image matches the meaning, 'to see.'