Active verbs v.s. Non-active verbs Part 2

What about mieru and kikoeru? They are non-active verbs, too. They are often translated as “I can see” and “I can hear”. However, it’s not one’s ability that these verbs refer to, but instead to situations happening naturally. Thus, they are not the potential forms of active verbs. Please keep in mind that these are different from verbs like hanaseru or oyogeru.

Fujisan ga mieru. (Mt. Fuji is visible.)

It’s visible just because it’s there. It doesn’t include an action with any intention. Mieru and kikoeru refer to states of being visible and audible, respectively.

You can interpret wakaru in the same way. I wrote this before, but please have a look at this again.

(watashi wa) nihongo ga wakaru. (Japanese is understandable (to me).)

Wakaru isn’t an active verb, but a state verb. Benkyo suru (to study) and narau (to learn) are actions, but wakaru refers to the state of knowing or understanding as a result of studying. That result is a state.

Active verbs include the speaker’s intention. Non-active verbs don’t and instead express a state, change, ability or result.

(Please read part 1 and 3, too. I also recommend that you read the old post about wakaru.)