hear, ask, listen

About this kanji

The kanji 「聞」 primarily means to hear or listen. It's often used as a verb, especially in the common word 聞く (きく), which means "to hear" or "to ask." You may also come across it in compounds like 新聞 (しんぶん), meaning "newspaper," and 新聞社 (しんぶんしゃ), which stands for "newspaper company." Another interesting compound is 見聞 (けんぶん), meaning "information" or "experience." A key note about this kanji is that it can convey both the act of hearing sounds and the act of asking questions, showcasing its versatility in communication.

Example sentences

• 彼の話を聞くのが好きだ。

  I like listening to his stories.

Meanings across languages

English

hear, ask, listen

Tiếng Việt

nghe

日本語

聞く

한국어

듣다

中文

听

id

dengar

th

ได้ยิน

es

escuchar

fr

entendre

de

hören

pt

ouvir

Common compounds

• 新聞しんぶんnewspaper
• 新聞社しんぶんしゃnewspaper company
• 聞かすきかすto let (someone) hear, to tell (e.g. a story), to inform (of)
• 見聞けんぶんinformation, experience, knowledge
• 聞くきくto hear, to listen (e.g. to music), to ask
• 聴聞ちょうもんlistening, hearing
• 新聞紙しんぶんしnewsprint, newspaper used for wrapping, packing, etc., newspaper
• 聞き手ききてhearer, listener, audience