〜てみる te miru

〜てみる（te miru）means “try doing (and see what happens)”. Attach みる to the て-form of a volitional (controllable) verb to mean 'do the action and see how it goes / try it out. Formation: V-て + みる

try doing (and see what happens)

N4

Formation

V-て + みる

Explanation

Attach みる to the て-form of a volitional (controllable) verb to mean 'do the action and see how it goes / try it out.' The focus is on attempting something to check the result or experience. みる here is written in kana, not 見る.

Examples

このおかし、おいしそう。ひとつたべてみる。
このおかし、おいしそう。ひとつたべてみる。
These sweets look good. I'll try one (and see).
わからないことばは、じしょでしらべてみてください。
わからないことばは、じしょでしらべてみてください。
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Note

Only with volitional verbs. 〜てみたい = want to try; 〜てみせる (different) = do to show off / demonstrate resolve.

FAQ

〜てみる — what does it mean and how is it used?

try doing (and see what happens). Attach みる to the て-form of a volitional (controllable) verb to mean 'do the action and see how it goes / try it out.' The focus is on attempting something to check the result or experience. みる here is written in kana, not 見る.

〜てみる — how do you form it?

V-て + みる

〜てみる — any usage notes?

Only with volitional verbs. 〜てみたい = want to try; 〜てみせる (different) = do to show off / demonstrate resolve.

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