見えます（みえます、miemasu）
- to be seen

The Japanese word 見えます (pronounced miemasu) primarily means "to be visible," "to be seen," or "it can be seen." It describes something that is within one's field of vision or that one is capable of seeing. It's a potential verb, indicating something that *can* be seen rather than an active act of seeing. It emphasizes the state of being visible rather than the action of looking.

⚫︎ 富士山が見えます。 Translation: I can see Mount Fuji. ⚫︎ あの建物が見えますか？ Translation: Can you see that building? ⚫︎ 星がよく見えますね。 Translation: The stars are very visible, aren't they?

⚫︎ 見えます is used to describe what one is able to see. ⚫︎ It is often used with objects, scenery, or other things that are within view. ⚫︎ It implies that the object is in a position where the person has the ability to see it, and it does not necessarily mean that the person is actively looking. ⚫︎ It is a polite form, suitable for most contexts. ⚫︎ The negative form is 見えません (miemasen - cannot be seen). ⚫︎ The past tense forms are 見えました (miemashita - was seen) and 見えませんでした (miemasen deshita - was not seen). ⚫︎ Other conjugations include 見える (mieru - can see) and 見ています (mite imasu - is seeing/is looking). Note that 見ています describes the action of looking, while 見えます describes the state of something being visible.

⚫︎ 見えます is typically written in hiragana as みえます. ⚫︎ The kanji form is 見えます. ⚫︎ The okurigana (hiragana attached to kanji) is えます.

⚫︎ 見える (mieru - to be visible/can see - plain form) ⚫︎ 目に映る (me ni utsuru - to come into view, to be reflected in one's eyes) - More formal

⚫︎ 見えない (mienai - cannot be seen)

窓から海が見えます。 ・Translation: I can see the sea from the window. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the visibility of the sea from a specific location (the window). It is a passive form, emphasizing what *can* be seen, not the act of looking.

今日は空が綺麗で、遠くまで見えます。 ・Translation: The sky is beautiful today, and I can see far. ・Explanation: This sentence explains that the speaker can see things far away because the sky is clear, highlighting the condition leading to the visibility.

見えます comes from the verb 見える (mieru), which is the potential form of the verb 見る (miru), meaning "to see" or "to look." The potential form implies the ability to see something. The ます (masu) ending makes it polite. The kanji 見 (ken/mi) means "to see" or "to look," and it is combined with the hiragana える (eru), which indicates potentiality.