Synonym Comparison
The Nuance Difference: "見ます" vs "とおく"
Master the exact conceptual boundary between these Japanese terms.
Japanese Term A
見ます
みます (mimasu)
N5 / CEFR Syllabus
VS
Japanese Term B
とおく
とおく (tooku)
N5 / CEFR Syllabus
Nuance Contrast & Social Differences
In Japanese, both 見ます and とおく are often translated to English but have distinct usages.
見ます (みます (mimasu)) represents "to see, to watch, to look" (Level: N5) and typically represents Polite form of 見る.
On the other hand, とおく (とおく (tooku)) translates to "far, distant" (Level: N5) and is used for Describes distance. Opposite of ちかく. Mixing these up can sound unnatural to native Japanese speakers!
Bilingual Sentence for "見ます"
昨日の夜、テレビで映画を見ました。
I watched a movie on TV last night.
Bilingual Sentence for "とおく"
わたしの家は会社から遠いです。
My house is far from the office.
Nuance Mastery Quiz
Which Japanese word perfectly fits this blank space?
Fill in the blank: "昨日の夜、テレビで映画を見ました。" (Meaning: "I watched a movie on TV last night.")
🎉 Correct Answer!
Remember: "見ます" fits here because it represents "to see, to watch, to look" in the context: "I watched a movie on TV last night.".