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Word 1593 of 2920

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耳を傾ける

みみをかたむける

to lend an ear; to listen carefully

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Examples

  1. 市民の声に耳を傾ける。

    しみんのこえにみみをかたむける。

    To listen closely to citizens' voices.

  2. 彼の話に静かに耳を傾けた。

    かれのはなしにしずかにみみをかたむけた。

    I listened quietly to what he had to say.

  3. 上に立つ者は、部下の意見にも耳を傾けるべきだ。

    うえにたつものは、ぶかのいけんにもみみをかたむけるべきだ。

    Those in charge should lend an ear to their staff's opinions too.

Common patterns

声に耳を傾ける
to listen to people's voices
意見に耳を傾ける
to give an opinion a hearing
じっと耳を傾ける
to listen intently

Memory tip

You tilt your ear towards the speaker. It is a written, somewhat formal word for listening with real attention, common in speeches and news, so it sounds heavy in casual chat — there, plain よく聞く is better.

Kanji in this word

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What does 耳を傾ける mean?