How to Say “Try Doing” in Japanese | Using V-てみる

level2 (N4)

Introduction

Want to say:

  • “I’ll try eating sushi”?
  • “I’ll try asking the teacher”?
  • “I tried practicing guitar”?

In Japanese, if you want to say you try to do something or give something a shot, you use a simple and flexible structure:

Verb (て-form) + みる
= Try doing ~

Let’s learn how to use it naturally for real conversations!

1. Grammar Structure

Pattern: V（て-form）+ みる

EnglishJapanese
I’ll try drinking it.飲のんでみます。
I’ll try asking the staff.店員てんいんに聞きいてみます。
I’ll try reading this magazine.この雑誌ざっしを読よんでみます。

2. How to Form It

  1. Take the て-form of the verb
  2. Attach みる
Verbて-formV-てみる FormMeaning
飲のむ飲んで飲んでみるtry drinking
聞きく聞いて聞いてみるtry asking/listening
読よむ読んで読んでみるtry reading
話はなす話して話してみるtry speaking
買かう買って買ってみるtry buying

Forgot some of the て-forms? Refer to Level 1 – Lesson 6 for the full て-form table!

3. Conjugation Examples

みる is a regular る-verb (like 見る), and it can be conjugated like any normal verb.

TenseExample
Polite Present食べてみます
Polite Past食べてみました
Negative食べてみません
Casual Present食べてみる

4. Usage

The “try” in 「V-てみる」 is specifically about doing something to see what happens, to experience it, or to test it out, often out of curiosity or lack of prior experience. It’s not primarily about making a difficult effort or attempting something you might fail at (which other “try” verbs convey).

5. Example Sentences

Ken
Ken

おすすめのアニメはある？
Any anime you recommend?

Yumi
Yumi

『葬送そうそうのフリーレン』や『鬼滅きめつの刃やいば』がおもしろいよ。
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End and Demon Slayer are pretty awesome.

Ken
Ken

ありがとう。見みてみるよ。
Thanks! I’ll give them a watch.

Saori
Saori

最近さいきんは、YOASOBIの曲きょくをよく聞ききます。
Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of YOASOBI.
家族かぞくの間あいだでも人気にんきなんです。
They’re pretty popular with my family too.

Koki
Koki

そうなんですね。わたしも聞きいてみます。
Oh, really? I’ll have to give them a listen.

Saori
Saori

おすすめの日本酒にほんしゅはありますか。
Do you have any sake you’d recommend?

Koki
Koki

獺祭だっさい、おいしいですよ。飲のんでみてください。
Dassai is really good. You should give it a try.

6. Practice Time!

Make sentences using V-てみる:

PromptExample
Try drinking Japanese sake日本酒にほんしゅを飲のんでみます。
Try asking for directions道みちを聞きいてみます。
Try writing kanji漢字かんじを書かいてみます。
Try singing karaokeカラオケで歌うたってみます。
Try making sushiすしを作つくってみます。

7. FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

Q
What’s the difference between みる and 見る?
A

みる (in this pattern) = “to try doing”, 見る (miru) = “to see/look”
Although they sound the same, V-てみる always means “to try.”

Q
What is the difference between using 「〜てみる」 and using the structure 「V-ようとする」(V-volitional + とする)?
A

Both can be translated as “to try,” but they have very different nuances:

〜てみる: Means to try doing something to see the result, to experience it, or to test it out. The focus is on the act of doing it for the sake of the experience or outcome. It implies actually doing the action. Example: このケーキを食べてみます。(Kono keeki o tabete mimasu.) = I will try eating this cake (to see how it tastes).

〜ようとする: Means to attempt to do something or be about to do something. The focus is on the effort or initiation of the action, and it can imply that the action was difficult, unsuccessful, or interrupted. Example: 重い荷物を持とうとしましたが、持てませんでした。(Omoi nimotsu o motou to shimashita ga, motemasen deshita.) = I tried to lift the heavy luggage, but I couldn’t. (Focus is on the attempt/effort).

Q
How is 「〜てみる」 different from the verbs 「挑戦する」(chousen suru) or 「努力する」(doryoku suru), which also mean “to try”?
A

「挑戦する」 and 「努力する」 express different types of “trying” compared to 「〜てみる」:

  • 〜てみる: Try something out, experience something new, test something. (Focus on action + experience/result).
  • 挑戦する (chousen suru): To challenge oneself or something difficult. (Focus on tackling a challenge).
  • 努力する (doryoku suru): To make an effort, strive, work hard towards a goal. (Focus on the exertion of effort).
Q
In what kinds of situations or with what kind of actions is 「〜てみる」 typically used?
A

「〜てみる」 is typically used for actions where the speaker is trying something for the first time, experimenting, testing, or doing something out of curiosity to see the outcome. Common situations include:

  • Trying new food or drinks: 食べてみる (tabete miru), 飲んでみる (nonde miru)
  • Using new items or tools: 使ってみる (tsukatte miru)
  • Visiting new places: 行ってみる (itte miru)
  • Asking a question to see the answer: 聞いてみる (kiite miru)
  • Saying something to see the reaction: 言ってみる (itte miru)
  • Doing something to see if you can or how it feels: やってみる (yatte miru – try doing it, give it a shot)

8. Conclusion

Now you can:

✅ Use V-てみる to say “try doing”
✅ Conjugate it naturally in conversation
✅ Express curiosity and new experiences like a native

🎯 Try this:
Make 3 sentences today using V-てみる about things you want to try!

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