JLPT N4・N5 Vocabulary – The difference between “聞けない” and “聞こえない”

Table of Contents

1. Difference between “聞きけない” and “聞きこえない”
2. 聞きける /聞きけない
3. 聞きこえる / 聞きこえない
4. Let’s Compare
5. Summary
6. Quiz
7. Similar Articles
8. Comments

Q: I was told that the sentence “先生せんせいの声こえが聞きけません。” sounds unnatural. Why is that?

A: The correct sentence is “先生せんせいの声こえが聞きこえません。”

“聞きけない” is used for things you listen to by your own intention, while “聞きこえない” is used for sounds that naturally enter your ears.

Let’s take a closer look at each one.

聞きける / 聞きけない (JLPT N5)

“聞きける / 聞きけない” expresses ability, possibility, and intention.
In other words, it is used to show whether you can listen to something intentionally.
It has almost the same meaning as “聞きくことができる.”

[Examples]
好すきな歌手かしゅのコンサートのチケットが当あたったんだ！会場かいじょうで歌手かしゅの歌うたが聞きける！　
I won tickets to my favorite singer’s concert! I’ll get to hear the singer perform live at the venue.
⇒ The speaker chooses to go to the venue, so they can listen to the songs.
　　　
このチャンネルでビートルズの歌うたが全部ぜんぶ聞きけるよ。
You can listen to all of The Beatles’ songs on this channel.
⇒ The channel provides the opportunity to listen to the songs.

この歌うたを聞きいたら別わかれた彼かれを思おもい出　だすから、もう聞きけません。
When I hear this song, it brings back memories of my ex, so I can’t listen to it anymore.
⇒ The speaker decides not to listen to the song.

聞きこえる / 聞きこえない (JLPT N4)

“聞きこえる / 聞きこえない” is used for sounds that naturally enter your ears.
It is also used when talking about hearing ability.
The key point is whether the sound comes into your ears even if you are not consciously listening.

[Examples]
となりの部屋へやから話はなしている声こえが聞きこえます。
I can hear voices talking from the room next door.
⇒ The voices naturally enter the ears without any conscious effort.

ここからきれいな波なみの音おとが聞きこえるよ。
You can hear the beautiful sound of the waves from here.
⇒ The sound naturally reaches the ears.

祖母そぼは耳みみが悪わるくて、小ちいさい声こえが聞きこえません。
My grandmother has poor hearing and cannot hear soft voices.
⇒ This sentence describes my grandmother’s hearing ability.

Let’s Compare

“聞きけない” and “聞きこえない” may both seem to mean “cannot hear,” but they are used in clearly different situations.
Let’s compare them together with the context.

[Examples]
① Music
音楽おんがくが聞きけません。
I can’t listen to the music.
⇒ This means that, for reasons such as not having a CD player or being busy, the speaker is unable or unwilling to listen.

音楽おんがくが聞きこえません。
I can’t hear the music.
⇒ This means that the sound does not naturally reach the ears, for example because it is quiet, far away, or due to poor hearing.

[Examples]
② Radio
このラジオは壊こわれているから、何なにも聞きけません。
This radio is broken, so I can’t listen to anything.
⇒ The conditions or environment needed to listen are not in place.

雑音ざつおんが多おおくて、ラジオの音おとが聞きこえないよ。

There’s a lot of static, so I can’t hear the radio.
⇒ The sound is there, but it does not naturally reach the ears.

[Examples]
③ A person’s voice
今日きょうは頭あたまが痛いたいから、先生せんせいの話はなしを聞きけません。
I have a headache today, so I can’t listen to the teacher.
⇒ This is a problem related to the speaker’s condition or intention.

後うしろの席せきで、先生せんせいの声こえが聞きこえません。
I can’t hear the teacher’s voice from the back seat.
⇒ This is caused by factors such as distance or volume.

[Examples]
④ Music
夜よるなので、大おおきな音おとで音楽おんがくが聞きけません。
I can’t listen to music at a loud volume because it’s night.
⇒ There is a rule or situational restriction.

となりがうるさくて、音楽おんがくが聞きこえません。
It’s noisy next door, so I can’t hear the music.
⇒ The sound is being drowned out by other noise.

In this way, “聞きける / 聞きけない” is used when something can or cannot be listened to depending on one’s intention or situation,
while “聞きこえる / 聞きこえない” is used for sounds that naturally enter the ears or to describe hearing ability.

Since someone’s voice normally enters the ears naturally regardless of one’s intention, in cases like the question—where the teacher’s voice does not reach the ears due to some reason—it is appropriate to use “聞きこえない.”

Summary

Expression	When to use
聞きける / 聞きけない	When whether you can listen depends on intention, ability, or situation
聞きこえる / 聞きこえない	When talking about sounds that naturally reach the ears or about hearing ability

Quiz

Read the following sentence and choose the expression that fits the context from the options provided in the parentheses.

Click on the question to check the answer.

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