Use 気づく when something comes to your attention or you realize a fact.
The idea
気づく is an intransitive godan verb. Mark what you notice with に; a fact can be expressed as a plain clause plus ことに or と. Its polite past is 気づきました and its て form is 気づいて.
| Dictionary form | Polite non-past | Polite negative | Polite past | て form |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 気づく | 気づきます | 気づきません | 気づきました | 気づいて |
Examples
- 間違いに気づきました。I noticed a mistake.
- 彼女は外の音に気づきました。She noticed the sound outside.
- 鍵を忘れたことに気づきました。I realized that I had forgotten my key.
- 変化に気づきませんでした。I did not notice the change.
- 何かに気づいたら、教えてください。If you notice anything, please tell me.
- それに気づいて、先生を呼びました。I noticed it and called the teacher.
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Watch out
Do not use を for the thing noticed: say 間違いに気づく. 気づく expresses becoming aware; 見つける means finding something.
Try it yourself
間違い＿気づきました。（に／を）
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に
に marks the mistake as what was noticed.
＿。（気づく→て）
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気づいて
気づいて is the て form: a godan verb ending in く normally changes く to いて.
鍵を忘れたことに＿。だから、家に戻りました。（気づきました／気づきませんでした）
Show answer or example answer
気づきました
気づきました fits because realizing the key was forgotten explains the return home.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Japanese sentences where available. We keep your score.
間違い＿気づきました。（に／を）
＿。（気づく→て）
鍵を忘れたことに＿。だから、家に戻りました。（気づきました／気づきませんでした）
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Write a sentence about a mistake you noticed, then turn it into the polite past and check the particle.