Noticing
Collocations, Stage 2chunk 7 of 24Senses & mind
A smell, a sound or a voice reaches you, and you notice something.
- nioi ga surusmell something, there's a smell
- oto ga suruhear a noise, there's a sound
- koe ga kikoeruhear a voice; (on a call) can hear someone
- ki ga tsukunotice, realise
Mix-ups The smell, sound or voice is the subject (nioi suru, oto shita, koe ga kikoeru), so you don't use kagu or kiku; kikoeru? (can you hear me?) is not kiiteru? (are you listening?). ki ga tsuku (notice) sounds almost like ki o tsukeru (be careful).
nioi ga suru
polite nioi ga shimasusmell something, there's a smell
匂いがする においがする 匂いがします
verbsuru するdo; here, be perceived: a smell, sound, taste or feeling makes itself felttypical 38% of nioi
trap For 'I smell something', learners use kagu, but kagu means sniffing on purpose. The smell is the subject: nanka nioi ga suru. ii nioi! on its own is also fine.
Said the moment you notice a smell, usually without ga: ii nioi suru! or nanka hen na nioi shinai? To name the source, add no: gasu no nioi ga suru (I smell gas).
nanka ii nioi suru ne.
Something smells good.
なんかいい匂いするね。
nanika ii nioi ga shimasu ne.
Something smells good, doesn't it.
何かいい匂いがしますね。
For a bad smell, natives often just say kusai (it stinks).
Same verb: kaori (fragrance), aji (taste), koe (voice), kanji (feeling)Learn alongside: oto ga suru, koe ga kikoeru, aji ga suru (Stage 3), oto ga deru (Stage 4)Main list: suru (Stage 1), ki ga suru (Stage 2)
oto ga suru
polite oto ga shimasuhear a noise, there's a sound
音がする おとがする 音がします
verbsuru するdo; here, be perceived: a sound, smell or taste makes itself felttypical 17% of oto
trap For 'I heard a noise' just now, learners say oto o kiita. That works when you tell the story later, but in the moment natives make the sound the subject: oto shita, or oto ga kikoeta.
The normal way to report a noise, with the noise as the subject, not you: nanka oto shita (I heard something). Use the past shita for a sound just now. ga is usually dropped.
ima nanka oto shinakatta?
Did you just hear something?
今なんか音しなかった？
ima nanika oto ga shimasen deshita ka?
Did you just hear a noise?
今何か音がしませんでしたか？
Often comes with a sound word: gatan tte oto shita (there was a thud). For 'can hear', the verb is kikoeru: oto ga kikoeru, and koe ga kikoeru for voices and calls.
Same verb: koe (voice), nioi (smell), aji (taste)Learn alongside: nioi ga suru, koe ga kikoeru, aji ga suru (Stage 3), oto ga deru (Stage 4)Main list: suru (Stage 1), kiku (Stage 2)
koe ga kikoeru
polite koe ga kikoemasuhear a voice; (on a call) can hear someone
声が聞こえる こえがきこえる 声が聞こえます
verbkikoeru 聞こえるcan be heard, reach your ears; also 'sound like' (X ni kikoeru)typical 15% of koe
trap For 'I can hear a voice' or 'can you hear me?', learners use kiku, but kiku is listening on purpose: kiiteru? means 'are you listening?'. A sound reaching you is kikoeru, with the voice as subject: koe kikoeru?
The voice that reaches you is the subject: tonari no heya kara koe ga kikoeru. On calls and video meetings it's the check koe kikoeteru? (can you hear me?), or just kikoeru?, and the reply chotto kikoenai (I can't really hear you).
moshimoshi, koe kikoeteru?
Hello? Can you hear me?
もしもし、声聞こえてる？
moshimoshi, koe kikoemasu ka?
Hello? Can you hear me?
もしもし、声聞こえますか？
X ni kikoeru means 'sounds like X': iiwake ni kikoeru (that sounds like an excuse). koe ga suru (there's a voice) says a voice is there; kikoeru is whether it reaches you, which is why calls use kikoeru. On a bad line, koe ga tooi (you sound far away) is the other stock complaint.
Same verb: oto (sound), ongaku (music), ashioto (footsteps)Learn alongside: nioi ga suru, oto ga suru, aji ga suru (Stage 3), oto ga deru (Stage 4)Main list: kiku (Stage 2), moshimoshi (Stage 1), mou ikkai (Stage 2)
ki ga tsuku
polite ki ga tsukimasunotice, realise
気が付く きがつく 気が付きます
verbtsuku 付くstick, get attached; here your attention catches on somethingtypical 3% of ki
trap For 'I noticed', learners say mita or wakatta. The phrase is ki ga tsuita. Keep it apart from ki o tsukeru (be careful), which sounds almost the same.
Mostly past: ki ga tsuita (I noticed, I realised) and zenzen ki ga tsukanakatta (I didn't notice at all). The thing noticed takes ni: machigai ni ki ga tsuita. ki ga tsuitara is the everyday 'before I knew it': ki ga tsuitara asa datta (next thing I knew, it was morning).
gomen, zenzen ki tsukanakatta.
Sorry, I didn't notice at all.
ごめん、全然気つかなかった。
sumimasen, zenzen ki ga tsukimasen deshita.
Sorry, I didn't notice at all.
すみません、全然気が付きませんでした。
The one-word kizuku means the same and is even more common in drama speech: zenzen kizukanakatta.
Learn alongside: ki ni iru, ki o tsukau (Stage 3)Main list: ki o tsukeru (Stage 2), ki o tsukete (Stage 1), ki ni naru (Stage 2), wakaru (Stage 2), miru (Stage 2)