1.
to know by sight; to recognize; to be acquainted with
To recognize someone's face or be familiar with a person through having seen them before. Most commonly used in the past participle form 見知った (familiar) or negative 見知らぬ (unknown, unfamiliar).
見知らぬ人に声をかけられた。
I was spoken to by a stranger.
見知った顔がたくさんいて安心した。
There were many familiar faces, and I felt relieved.
見知らぬ土地で一人暮らしを始めるのは不安だったが、すぐに慣れた。
Starting to live alone in an unfamiliar place was nerve-wracking, but I got used to it quickly.
USAGE:
見知る is a godan verb, but it is rarely used in its dictionary form. It appears almost exclusively in two set forms:
- 見知った～ (familiar ~; known ~)
- 見知らぬ～ (unfamiliar ~; unknown ~; strange ~)
The negative form 見知らぬ uses the classical negative ぬ rather than modern ない, giving it a slightly literary feel.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 見知らぬ人 (a stranger)
- 見知らぬ土地 (an unfamiliar place)
- 見知った顔 (a familiar face)
- 見知った人 (someone one knows)
ASPECT (ている):
Not typically used in the ている form. The past participle 見知った already expresses the resulting state of being familiar.