聞く — 日本語 to English Context Definition

聞く

kiku

verb★Beginner

formalinformal

to hear; to listen (to)

先生の話を聞く

To listen to the teacher's words

音楽を聞く

To listen to music

💡

Often used to indicate actively listening to someone or something.

formalinformal

to ask (someone) about something; to inquire

先生に質問を聞く

To ask the teacher a question

友達に最近の出来事を聞く

To ask a friend about recent events

💡

When used with a question word (e.g., 何, どこ), it means 'to ask.'

聞こえるto be audible聞き取るto catch (what someone says)聞き入るto listen intently

聞き分けるphrase

to distinguish (sounds)

聞き逃すphrase

to miss (what someone says)

'聞く' is used for general listening, while '聴く' implies more focused listening, like in a concert or lecture.

The polite form of '聞く' is '聞きます' (kikimasu).

From Old Japanese 'kiku,' meaning 'to hear' or 'to listen.'

The verb '聞く' is often confused with '聴く' (to listen carefully), but '聞く' is more general and can mean both 'to hear' and 'to listen.'

聞

to hear

root

く

verb ending

suffix

✎ Noted on May 2, 2026JA → EN