見える

みえる · mieru · JLPT N4 · verb-ichidan

to be visible

👀 見 (see) + える (can be): mi-eru = it can be seen, it shows up

見る (miru) is to look on purpose; 見える (mieru) is when something is seeable by itself, no effort. Politely, a guest who comes is said to become visible: お客様が見える = the guest shows up, hence the honorific sense of 来る.

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