聞こえる【きこえる】

きこえる聞こえる (きこえる) is an intransitive verb meaning "to be audible", "to be heard", or "to sound (a certain way)". It describes sounds that naturally reach the listener's ears, without any deliberate effort to listen.

聞こえる vs. 聞く

While きく聞く means "to listen" or "to hear" (an active, intentional action), 聞こえる describes sounds that are naturally perceptible – they come to you whether you intend to hear them or not.

The sound source is marked with が, not を, because 聞こえる is intransitive – the sound is the subject, not the object.

Something is audible / can be heard

This is the most common usage. It expresses that a sound reaches the listener.

When asking whether someone can hear something:

Expressing how something sounds

聞こえる can also mean "to sound (like)" when combined with an adjective or a noun + に.

• Adj-く + 聞こえる: Describes how something sounds.

  かれ彼のことば言葉はつめたく冷たくきこえた聞こえた。

  His words sounded cold.

• Noun + に聞こえる: Expresses that something sounds like a particular thing.

  いいわけ言い訳にきこえる聞こえる。

  It sounds like an excuse.

Ability to hear (hearing ability)

聞こえる can also refer to one's ability to hear in general.

Conjugation notes

聞こえる is a る-verb (ichidan verb) and conjugates normally:

• Negative: 聞こえない
• Past: 聞こえた
• Polite: 聞こえます
• て-form: 聞こえて