Japanese symbol for “observe”
見る
みる
Romaji: miru
to see; to look; to watch; to view
In Japanese, observe is 見る, read みる (miru).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- v1, vt to see; to look; to watch; to view; to observe
- v1, vt to examine; to look over; to assess; to check; to judge
- v1, vt to look after; to attend to; to take care of; to keep an eye on
- v1, vt to experience; to meet with (misfortune, success, etc.)
- aux-v, v1 to try ...; to have a go at ...; to give ... a try
- aux-v, v1 to see (that) ...; to find (that) ...
Written forms: 見る、観る、視る、覧る. Readings: みる.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “observe”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 認める | みとめる mitomeru | to recognize; to recognise; to observe |
| 祝う | いわう iwau | to celebrate; to congratulate; to observe (a festival) |
| 従う | したがう shitagau | to obey (an order, law, etc.); to abide by (a rule, custom, etc.); to follow |
| 守る | まもる mamoru | to keep (i.e. a promise); to abide (by the rules); to observe |
| 眺める | ながめる nagameru | to look on (from the sidelines); to stand by and watch; to observe |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 発見 | はっけん hakken | discovery; detection; finding |
| 意見 | いけん iken | opinion; view; comment |
| 見える | みえる mieru | to be seen; to be visible; to be in sight |
| 見かけ | みかけ mikake | outward appearance |
| 会見 | かいけん kaiken | interview; audience; meeting |
See also: Chinese symbol for “observe”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.