聞(き)き覚(おぼ)え

ききおぼえ
noun
familiarity from hearing
cognition
1. familiarity from hearing, recognition by ear
The sense that one has heard something before — a voice, a name, a melody, or a phrase. Used when something sounds familiar even if one cannot pinpoint when or where it was heard.
聞(き)き覚(おぼ)えのある声(こえ)だった。
It was a voice I recognized.
その名前(なまえ)には聞(き)き覚(おぼ)えがある。
That name sounds familiar to me.
聞(き)き覚(おぼ)えのあるメロディーが流(なが)れてきて、懐(なつ)かしい気持(きも)ちになった。
A familiar melody started playing, and I felt nostalgic.

Usage

The most common patterns are 聞(き)き覚(おぼ)えがある (to sound familiar / to recognize from hearing) and 聞(き)き覚(おぼ)えのある + noun (a familiar-sounding ~). The negative 聞(き)き覚(おぼ)えがない means something is not familiar at all.

Compare with the visual equivalent 見覚(みおぼ)え (recognition by sight / visual familiarity).

Common collocations

Related Words

Related: 見覚(みおぼ)え (visual familiarity)
general
Added 2026.2.27 16:49 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
13500/13952_kikioboe