てみる (Try Doing) in Japanese

Overview

The pattern てみる (te miru) combines the て-form of a verb with みる (to see/look) to express "trying something to see what happens." It conveys curiosity, experimentation, and willingness to experience something new. Unlike the English "try," which can imply difficulty or effort, てみる specifically emphasizes doing something as an experiment or first-time experience.

This is one of the most natural and frequently used て-form compounds in Japanese. At the B2 level, you will find it essential for suggesting activities, describing new experiences, and expressing openness to trying things. It appears in everything from restaurant recommendations to travel plans to learning new skills.

The underlying metaphor is beautiful: you "do and see" — you perform the action and observe the result. This captures the experimental, open-minded spirit of the expression perfectly.

How It Works

Formation

Component	Pattern
Structure	て-form + みる
Polite	て-form + みます
Past	て-form + みた / みました
Desire	て-form + みたい
Request	て-form + みてください

Conjugation of みる in this Pattern

Form	Example with 食べる
Dictionary	食べてみる
Polite	食べてみます
Past	食べてみた
Past polite	食べてみました
Desire (たい)	食べてみたい
Volitional	食べてみよう
Conditional	食べてみたら
て-form	食べてみて
Negative	食べてみない

When to Use てみる

Situation	Example
First-time experience	初めて寿司を食べてみた
Suggesting someone try	一度行ってみてください
Testing something	新しい方法を試してみる
Expressing interest	やってみたいです
Offering to attempt	聞いてみます

Examples in Context

Japanese	English	Note
食べてみてください。	Please try eating it.	Invitation to try food
日本語で話してみます。	I'll try speaking in Japanese.	Attempting something new
一度行ってみたいです。	I'd like to try going there once.	Expressing desire
着てみてもいいですか？	May I try it on?	Asking permission
自分で作ってみました。	I tried making it myself.	Reporting an experiment
聞いてみたけど、分からなかった。	I tried asking, but they didn't know.	Result of attempt
この本、読んでみて。面白いよ。	Try reading this book. It's interesting.	Casual recommendation
新しいレストランに行ってみよう。	Let's try going to the new restaurant.	Suggestion
一人で旅行してみたいと思っています。	I'm thinking I'd like to try traveling alone.	Future desire
やってみなければ分からない。	You won't know unless you try.	Encouragement
使ってみたら、すごく便利でした。	When I tried using it, it was really convenient.	Reporting discovery
ちょっと考えてみます。	I'll think about it (and see).	Soft commitment

Common Mistakes

Using てみる for actions you already do regularly

• Wrong: 毎日コーヒーを飲んでみます。
• Right: 毎日コーヒーを飲みます。
• Why: てみる implies a first-time or experimental action. For daily routines, use the plain form. You would say 新しいコーヒーを飲んでみる (try a new coffee), not your regular morning cup.

Confusing てみる with ようとする

• Wrong: ドアを開けてみたけど、開かなかった。 (when you struggled to open it)
• Right: ドアを開けようとしたけど、開かなかった。
• Why: てみる means "try to see what happens" (experimental). ようとする means "attempt/try with effort" (struggle). If the door was stuck and you physically struggled, use ようとする.

Omitting てみる when the experimental nuance is needed

• Wrong: このケーキ、食べてください。 (when offering something unfamiliar)
• Right: このケーキ、食べてみてください。
• Why: When offering something new or unfamiliar, てみる adds a friendly "give it a try" nuance that makes the offer more inviting and less commanding.

Using てみる with negative outcomes you expect

• Wrong: 失敗してみた。
• Right: 失敗してしまった。
• Why: てみる implies trying something with an open, curious attitude. You wouldn't experimentally fail. For unintended negative results, use てしまう instead.

Usage Notes

てみる is remarkably versatile in register. It works in casual conversation (食べてみて!), polite speech (食べてみてください), and even formal writing (検討してみる必要がある — there is a need to consider it).

The combination てみたら (conditional) is very common for sharing discoveries: 使ってみたら便利だった (when I tried using it, it was convenient). This "tried it and found out" pattern is a natural way to give recommendations.

ちょっと～てみます is a soft, non-committal response often used in customer service and business: ちょっと確認してみます (let me check on that). It sounds less definitive than 確認します and implies you will see what you can do.

てみたい (want to try) is one of the most useful travel and lifestyle expressions. Japanese speakers frequently say ～してみたい when discussing bucket list items, new restaurants, or experiences they are curious about.

Practice Tips

• Make a "try-it list" in Japanese using てみたい: write five things you want to try this month. For example, 新しい料理を作ってみたい, 日本の映画を見てみたい. Review the list weekly and report on results using てみた.

• When recommending something to a language partner, always use てみて instead of plain して. This small change makes your recommendations sound warmer and more natural: この曲、聴いてみて! (Try listening to this song!)

• Practice the てみたら discovery pattern by sharing three experiences from your week: ～してみたら、～だった. This builds the reporting structure that native speakers use constantly.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: て-Form — the base conjugation for this compound
• Next steps: ておく (preparation) — doing something in advance, another key て-form compound
• Next steps: てしまう (completion/regret) — expressing completion or unintended results