目撃します（もくげきします、mokugekishimasu）
- to witness

The Japanese verb 目撃します目撃します means "to witness," "to observe," or "to be an eyewitness to" something. It implies that you saw an event or incident, usually unexpectedly. It suggests a direct observation rather than simply hearing about something.

⚫︎事件を目撃します。 Translation: I witnessed the incident. ⚫︎事故を目撃しました。 Translation: I witnessed the accident. ⚫︎彼はその場にいて、すべてを目撃した。 Translation: He was there and witnessed everything.

You use 目撃します目撃します to describe seeing an event, usually something specific and significant. You would use it when you want to emphasize that you personally saw something happen, rather than just hearing about it. It's often used in formal or neutral contexts, such as reporting to the police or describing events in a news report.

⚫︎The word is typically written with the kanji 目撃 combined with the polite verb ending します. ⚫︎目撃 is a noun meaning "witness" or "observation". ⚫︎It's written in kanji 目撃, with the verb ending in hiragana します. ⚫︎There are no other common ways to write this word. ⚫︎The okurigana (the suffix hiragana) is standard as します. ⚫︎The stem form is 目撃. ⚫︎Other conjugations would be 目撃する (dictionary form), 目撃した (past tense), etc.

⚫︎見る (miru) - to see ⚫︎観る (miru) - to watch (implies viewing something intentionally) ⚫︎見かける (mikakeru) - to catch sight of ⚫︎立ち会う (tachiau) - to be present at, to witness (more formal)

⚫︎There isn't a single direct antonym. You could use words that imply not witnessing, such as: ⚫︎知らない (shiranai) - to not know ⚫︎気づかない (kidzukanai) - to not notice ⚫︎見逃す (minogasu) - to miss, to overlook

犯人は私を目撃した人に脅迫した。 ・Translation: The criminal threatened the person who witnessed me. ・Explanation: This sentence illustrates how 目撃します目撃 is used in a context related to a crime.

警察は、目撃者の証言に基づいて捜査を進めた。 ・Translation: The police proceeded with the investigation based on the witness's testimony. ・Explanation: This sentence demonstrates the word's usage in a formal context (police investigation).

The word 目撃 is a compound word. 目 (me) means "eye," and 撃 (geki) means "to hit" or "to strike." However, when combined, 目撃 takes on the meaning of "observation" or "witness." The verb します is added to make it a verb meaning "to witness." The kanji 目 has the meaning of eye or sight, and 撃 originally meant "attack" or "strike". However, 目撃 now means "to witness" or "to observe". The combination of the two characters creates the meaning of seeing something happen with one's own eyes.