How do you say "to listen" in Japanese?

聴く

kiku

Verb Kanji

In Japanese, "to listen" is 聴く (kiku).

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Pronunciation

聴く is written using kanji. Romanised as kiku, it sounds roughly like "kee-koo" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Kiku (聴く) uses the kanji cho (listen carefully). It differs from plain kiku (聞く, to hear), emphasizing active attention.

Example sentence

一緒に聴きますか？

Issho ni kikimasu ka?

Shall we to listen together?

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How to remember 聴く

Kiku contains an ear radical marking listening as an intentional act. The character shows an ear attending carefully.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more Japanese verbs.

Questions about 聴く

How do you pronounce 聴く?

聴く is romanised as kiku. Say it roughly like "kee-koo" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 聴く formal or casual?

聴く is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is 聴く written in Japanese?

聴く is written using kanji. Kiku (聴く) uses the kanji cho (listen carefully).

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"To listen" in other languages

Curated by Jack Ratcliffe

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