1.
to fail to hear; to miss hearing
to not catch what was said, either by accident or inattention
名前を聞き逃した。
I missed hearing the name.
大事な発表を聞き逃さないでください。
Please don't miss the important announcement.
騒がしくてアナウンスを聞き逃した。
It was noisy, so I missed the announcement.
電車の中で駅名を聞き逃した。
I missed hearing the station name on the train.
2.
to let slip; to not pursue what was heard
to deliberately overlook something problematic that was said
その発言は聞き逃せない。
That remark cannot be ignored.
失礼な言葉を聞き逃すわけにはいかない。
I can't let such rude words slide.
聞き逃す means either accidentally missing what was said or deliberately overlooking something.
VERB TYPE:
- Godan verb (す-verb)
- Transitive
COMPOUND STRUCTURE:
- 聞く (to hear) + 逃す (to let escape)
- Part of the ～逃す compound pattern
SENSE 1 (ACCIDENTAL):
- Missing information unintentionally
- Common in noisy environments
- Used with announcements, names, explanations
SENSE 2 (DELIBERATE):
- Choosing not to respond to something problematic
- 聞き逃せない (cannot be overlooked) is very common
- Often in contexts of insults or inappropriate remarks
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 名前を聞き逃す (miss hearing a name)
- アナウンスを聞き逃す (miss an announcement)
- 大事な話を聞き逃す (miss important information)
- 聞き逃せない (cannot be ignored)
CONTRAST WITH 聞き流す:
- 聞き逃す: Failed to hear or can't ignore
- 聞き流す: Deliberately ignored, let pass
RELATED COMPOUND VERBS:
- 見逃す (to overlook, miss seeing)
- 取り逃す (to let slip, miss catching)
- 聞き流す (to let pass, ignore)
REGISTER: Neutral. Common in everyday conversation.