耳(みみ)を澄(す)ます

みみをすます
expression
to listen carefully; to strain one's ears
cognition
1. to listen carefully; to strain one's ears
To concentrate on hearing something, often a faint or distant sound, by paying close attention.
耳(みみ)を澄(す)ますと鳥(とり)の声(こえ)が聞(き)こえた。
When I listened carefully, I could hear birdsong.
静(しず)かに耳(みみ)を澄(す)まして待(ま)った。
I waited quietly, straining my ears.
遠(とお)くから聞(き)こえる音楽(おんがく)に耳(みみ)を澄(す)ました。
I listened carefully to the music coming from far away.

A literary and evocative expression meaning to focus one's hearing intently. 澄(す)ます means 'to clear' or 'to refine,' so the phrase literally conveys the idea of 'clearing one's ears' to hear better. Often used in descriptive or narrative writing.

Common collocations

  • じっと耳(みみ)を澄(す)ます: to listen intently without moving
  • 耳(みみ)を澄(す)ませば: if you listen carefully
  • 夜(よる)の音(おと)に耳(みみ)を澄(す)ます: to listen to the sounds of the night

Similar words

  • 聞(き)き耳(みみ)を立(た)てる: to prick up one's ears — often implies eavesdropping or trying to catch someone's conversation, while 耳(みみ)を澄(す)ます is more about focusing on faint or ambient sounds
  • よく聞(き)く: to listen well — a simpler, everyday expression without the poetic nuance

Related Words

Compare: 聞(き)き澄(す)ます (to listen carefully)
general
Added 2026.4.7 9:50 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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