# Quick check on 見る and 観る
**URL:** https://community.wanikani.com/t/quick-check-on-%E8%A6%8B%E3%82%8B-and-%E8%A6%B3%E3%82%8B/29061
**Category:** Japanese Language
**Created:** [March 2, 2018, 5:37am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/quick-check-on-%E8%A6%8B%E3%82%8B-and-%E8%A6%B3%E3%82%8B/29061 "2018-03-02T05:37:31Z")
**Posts on this page:** 12
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@IanD](https://community.wanikani.com/u/IanD)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2018, 5:37am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/quick-check-on-%E8%A6%8B%E3%82%8B-and-%E8%A6%B3%E3%82%8B/29061/1 "2018-03-02T05:37:32Z")
Okay, so I just had 観る come up on Wanikani. I’ve been familiar with the onyomi かん for a while, as it appears in several useful words (参観, 観光), but up until this moment didn’t realize its kunyomi was an alternate version of 見る.
Wanikani defines 観る as “to watch” or “to view,” and has an interesting example sentence where I’d thought 見る would more commonly be used: どっちの映画を観るか迷っています。
In my experience, also, Japanese speakers have terrible trouble learning the difference between “look, see and watch,” so I was surprised to find they might have such a distinction in their own language.
Or … do they? A Japanese teacher once specifically pointed out the difference of nuance between 聞く and 聴く as we were talking about how one _didn’t_ exist for 見る (which is what makes the “look, see, watch” situation so difficult). I’ve also never encountered 観 in the wild outside of its compounds.
So is this just an archaic kanji usage that Wanikani doesn’t quite put the right spin on? If I presented the idea that 見る is “see/look at” and 観る is “watch” (or something along those lines), would that aid understanding, or would I just get blank stares because there really isn’t a difference?
Edit – Or is it just a register difference without real separation in meaning or something?
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### Author:  [@Leebo](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Leebo)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2018, 5:44am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/quick-check-on-%E8%A6%8B%E3%82%8B-and-%E8%A6%B3%E3%82%8B/29061/2 "2018-03-02T05:44:30Z")
観る is used for purposeful watching, like TV, movies, etc.
見る is not wrong, strictly speaking, but it would be less commonly used by natives.
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### Author:  [@IanD](https://community.wanikani.com/u/IanD)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2018, 5:45am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/quick-check-on-%E8%A6%8B%E3%82%8B-and-%E8%A6%B3%E3%82%8B/29061/3 "2018-03-02T05:45:21Z")
Interesting! Must have just been a gap in my knowledge then. Might be one of those things I actually _have_ seen but have never taken in.
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### Author:  [@MissMisc](https://community.wanikani.com/u/MissMisc)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2018, 5:45am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/quick-check-on-%E8%A6%8B%E3%82%8B-and-%E8%A6%B3%E3%82%8B/29061/4 "2018-03-02T05:45:23Z")
I found a pretty good explanation on [stackexchange](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/17858/difference-between-%E8%A6%8B%E3%82%8B-and-%E8%A6%B3%E3%82%8B)
Basically, in terms of 見る and 観る, 見る can be used for anything that means to look, see, or watch, and it would be correct, but 観る would be a more specific way of use when referring to 1) looking at scenery (like a tourist does), or 2) watching something for entertainment
So in the WK example sentence, どっちの映画を観るか迷っています, the speaker is trying to decide on a movie to watch, which they’re doing for entertainment, so 観る would be more specific in denoting that type of watching
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### Author:  [@IanD](https://community.wanikani.com/u/IanD)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2018, 5:45am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/quick-check-on-%E8%A6%8B%E3%82%8B-and-%E8%A6%B3%E3%82%8B/29061/5 "2018-03-02T05:45:59Z")
Thanks! Looks like it really is the kind of distinction we have been “watch” and “look at” then. That’s super helpful!
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### Author:  [@Leebo](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Leebo)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2018, 5:51am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/quick-check-on-%E8%A6%8B%E3%82%8B-and-%E8%A6%B3%E3%82%8B/29061/6 "2018-03-02T05:51:42Z")
There are also 診る and 看る, used in mostly medical environments.
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### Author:  [@IanD](https://community.wanikani.com/u/IanD)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2018, 5:52am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/quick-check-on-%E8%A6%8B%E3%82%8B-and-%E8%A6%B3%E3%82%8B/29061/7 "2018-03-02T05:52:18Z")
Thanks for the heads up. I noticed them popping up as suggestions in the IME just now and was wondering if they were additional synonyms or closely related words.
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### Author:  [@Leebo](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Leebo)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2018, 5:52am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/quick-check-on-%E8%A6%8B%E3%82%8B-and-%E8%A6%B3%E3%82%8B/29061/8 "2018-03-02T05:52:59Z")
If you learn the kanji meanings the nuances should be clear.
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### Author:  [@kylesama](https://community.wanikani.com/u/kylesama)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2018, 7:46am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/quick-check-on-%E8%A6%8B%E3%82%8B-and-%E8%A6%B3%E3%82%8B/29061/9 "2018-03-02T07:46:12Z")
Just to further this.
聞く
And
聴く
Are the same but for listen.
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### Author:  [@Leebo](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Leebo)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2018, 8:45am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/quick-check-on-%E8%A6%8B%E3%82%8B-and-%E8%A6%B3%E3%82%8B/29061/10 "2018-03-02T08:45:56Z")
That was mentioned in the first post, but in the context of there not being an equivalent for 見る. The only thing I can imagine is that this teacher’s point about 聞く was different from what we’re talking about, because I doubt any native would be unaware of the usage of 観る.
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### Author:  [@IanD](https://community.wanikani.com/u/IanD)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2018, 11:05am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/quick-check-on-%E8%A6%8B%E3%82%8B-and-%E8%A6%B3%E3%82%8B/29061/11 "2018-03-02T11:05:33Z")
I figure in retrospect it just slipped their mind in the midst of conversation, as little English parallels and caveats do all the time for me when I’m talking about the language. Or that there was some miscommunication. No harm no foul.
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### Author:  [@system](https://community.wanikani.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2019, 11:05am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/quick-check-on-%E8%A6%8B%E3%82%8B-and-%E8%A6%B3%E3%82%8B/29061/12 "2019-03-02T11:05:35Z")
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