〜に聞こえる
- Pattern
- 〜に聞こえる
- Level
- N4
- Reading
- 〜にきこえる
- Meaning
- sound like; appear to be heard as
- Attaches to
- Noun + に聞こえる; い-adj stem + く聞こえる; な-adj stem + に聞こえる
- Nuance & register
Used for conveying an auditory impression, often subjective. Implies one's own perception.
- Example
その声は怒っているように聞こえる。彼の話は冗談に聞こえる。
- Easily confused with
〜そうだ（様態） - Similar to 〜に見える, 〜に聞こえる is about subjective auditory impression, while 〜そうだ（様態） is about immediate auditory judgment (e.g., "sounds like it will break").