How To Try
“By trying we can easily endure adversity. Another man’s, I mean.” – Mark Twain
Trying is quite easy in Japanese. Let’s take a look at the pattern.
te-form + みる
Now, you may know the common verb 見る (also みる). This verb isn’t the same verb even though they sound the same. It’s the for “to try.” When you write the verb “to try” you don’t use kanji. When you write the verb “to see” you do use kanji. Basically, this is how you tell them apart. So, don’t use any kanji to write this word. Here’s some examples.
a 食べてみる
Try to eat
a 行ってみる
Try to go
a 見てみる
Try to see
See how easy that is? Just take te-form and add みる to it. To remember this, just remember that it sounds like the verb “to see” which you probably know pretty well by this point. Just in case, though, let’s practice this step a little bit.