見える vs 見れる – The Meaning of Mieru

When you translate 見みえる from Japanese to English it becomes can see. However, 見れる also translates to can see. These two Japanese words are used separately to express two different similar concepts. The difference is not that extreme but is important to know in order to use the correct word in the right situation.

https://japaneseuniverse.com/2024/02/18/pac-man-in-japaneseconcepts-behind-development-to-global-icon/

見れる – Able to See

見れる has a meaning closer to being able to see. It is the potential form of the verb 見る which is simply to see.

宿題しゅくだいが終おわったら映画えいがが見れるよ
you can watch a movie after your homework

見える – Be Visible

見える on the other hand translates closer to, to be visible. The difference here is that 見える means something just entered your scope of vision. It doesn’t have that sense of making any kind of effort to try and look at something.

二階にかいから空そらがよく見えるよ
You can see the sky well from the second floor. (The sky is clearly visible)

見える – to Look like

見える also has a special meaning. When you are describing the appearance of things you can use 見える. Here it means that it looks like something.

トラに見える猫ねこ
A cat that looks like a tiger

Resources

• Weblio – 見える