Meaning
Shows from whose standpoint a situation is judged: “from N's point of view, in N's eyes”. When N is a sign or a fact, it gives the basis for the speaker's own conclusion: “judging from N”. から見ると, から見れば and から見て are nearly interchangeable; から見ても means “even from N's point of view”.
Formation
- N＋から見ると: 子ども → 子どもから見ると
- N＋から見れば: 若い人 → 若い人から見れば
- N＋から見て: 空の様子 → 空の様子から見て
- N＋から見ても (“even from N's point of view”): 専門家 → 専門家から見ても
- N1＋から見た＋N2 (modifying a noun): 外国人 → 外国人から見た日本
When to use it
- Where to use it
- When a judgment is made from someone else's or a particular standpoint: 外国人から見ると不思議な習慣 (“a strange custom in a foreigner's eyes”); or when drawing a conclusion from signs: 話し方から見ると、関西の人だろう.
- Where not to use it
- It does not replace a source of reported information: ニュースによると、明日は雨だそうだ. Personal significance normally uses にとって; から見ると emphasizes viewpoint, so 私から見ると家族は大切だ is possible as an evaluation, but is not identical to “family matters personally to me.”
Examples
20 sentences-
子どもから見ると、大人の世界は不思議なことばかりだ。
From a child's point of view, the adult world is full of strange things.
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東京の人から見れば、この町の家賃は驚くほど安い。
From a Tokyo resident's point of view, rent in this town is surprisingly cheap.
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専門家から見ても、この計画には無理がある。
Even from an expert's point of view, this plan is unrealistic.
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空の様子から見て、午後は雨になりそうだ。
Judging from the sky, it looks like it will rain this afternoon.
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私から見ると、彼は少し頑張りすぎている。
From where I stand, he's pushing himself a little too hard.
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お客さんから見て、この説明は分かりやすいでしょうか。
From the customer's point of view, is this explanation easy to understand?
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外国人から見た日本は、どんな国ですか。
What kind of country is Japan in the eyes of foreigners?
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彼の話し方から見ると、関西の人だろう。
Judging by the way he talks, he's probably from Kansai.
12 more examples
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若い人から見れば、この値段は決して安くない。
From a young person's point of view, this price is by no means cheap.
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誰から見ても、彼女の負けは明らかだった。
From anyone's point of view, her defeat was obvious.
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親から見ると、子どもはいくつになっても子どもだ。
In a parent's eyes, a child is still a child no matter how old they get.
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先生から見れば、私の日本語はまだまだでしょう。
From my teacher's point of view, my Japanese probably still has a long way to go.
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彼の顔色から見て、まだ体調はよくなさそうだ。
Judging by his complexion, he still doesn't seem to be feeling well.
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プロから見ても、この絵はかなりうまいらしい。
Apparently even professionals think this painting is quite good.
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子どもから見た戦争を描いた小説を読んだ。
I read a novel that depicts war as seen through a child's eyes.
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社員から見た会社の問題点を、アンケートで調べた。
We used a survey to find out what problems employees see in the company.
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日本人から見ると、この敬語の使い方はおかしいですか？
To a Japanese speaker, does this use of honorific language sound strange?
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祖父から見れば、私の仕事は仕事のうちに入らないらしい。
In my grandfather's eyes, my job apparently doesn't even count as real work.
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住民の立場から見て、新しい道路は本当に必要だろうか。
From the residents' standpoint, is the new road really necessary?
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外から見ると楽しそうだが、実はとても大変な仕事だ。
It looks fun from the outside, but it's actually a very hard job.
Important notes
- What follows is a judgment, evaluation or guess: 変だ, 若い, ～すぎる, ～だろう, ～ようだ. When N is a sign or clue (様子, 話し方, 結果), it means “judging from N”.
- Literally looking from somewhere (窓から見ると海が見える, “if you look out of the window, you can see the sea”) is just the verb 見る, not this pattern.
- によると marks a source of information (“according to”), usually with そうだ／らしい; から見ると is a point of view or the basis for one's own conclusion.
Common mistakes
- ✗ 天気予報から見ると、明日は雪だそうだ → ✓ 天気予報によると、明日は雪だそうだ — a source of information takes によると; から見ると is a point of view or one's own conclusion.
- △ 私から見ると、この写真は大切です (intended: “precious to me personally”) → 私にとって、この写真は大切です — the former gives your evaluation; the latter directly identifies personal significance.
- ✗ 子どもから見るの世界 → ✓ 子どもから見た世界 — before a noun, use the form から見た.
Check yourself
Pick the translation of each sentence. The wrong options translate similar patterns, so watch the grammar rather than the words.
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