1.
outlook, prospects, forecast
A prediction or expectation about how things will develop in the future.
景気の見通しは明るい。
The economic outlook is bright.
今後の見通しが立たない。
There's no clear outlook for the future.
政府は来年度の経済成長について楽観的な見通しを示した。
The government presented an optimistic outlook for next fiscal year's economic growth.
2.
unobstructed view, visibility
The ability to see clearly into the distance without obstruction.
この道は見通しが良い。
This road has good visibility.
見通しの悪いカーブに注意してください。
Please be careful at curves with poor visibility.
霧で見通しが悪くなり、運転が危険になった。
Visibility worsened due to fog, making driving dangerous.
KANJI:
見 (see) + 通し (through). Literally "seeing through."
USAGE:
見通しが立つ (an outlook is established) and 見通しが立たない (no clear outlook) are extremely common patterns in news and business contexts. For sense 2, 見通しが良い/悪い (good/poor visibility) is standard in traffic and weather reports.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 見通しが立つ: an outlook is formed
- 見通しが暗い/明るい: the outlook is dim/bright
- 見通しを示す: to present a forecast
- 見通しが甘い: an overly optimistic forecast