Japanese 見つかる: something being found

The idea

見みつかる is a godan verb. Its polite non-past is 見みつかります, polite negative 見みつかりません, polite past 見みつかりました, and て form 見みつかって. The non-past can express a habit or a future event, depending on context. が marks the thing found. 見みつかる is intransitive, not a passive form; 見みつける focuses on a finder and takes を.

Examples

• なくした鍵かぎが見みつかりました。The lost key was found.
• 駅えきでかばんが見みつかりました。The bag was found at the station.
• 新あたらしい部屋へやがまだ見みつかりません。A new room has not been found yet.
• 友達ともだちの猫ねこが庭にわで見みつかりました。My friend’s cat was found in the garden.
• 答こたえが本ほんの中なかで見みつかりました。The answer was found in the book.
• 仕事しごとがやっと見みつかりました。A job was finally found.

Watch out

Do not add て directly to the dictionary form 見みつかる; the correct て form is 見みつかって.

Try it yourself

1. ＿。（見みつかる→ます）

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   見つかります

   見みつかります is the polite non-past of 見みつかる; context determines whether it describes a habit or the future.

2. ＿。（見みつかる→て）

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   見つかって

   見みつかって is the て form of 見みつかる; it can link one action to a following clause.

3. 鍵かぎ＿見みつかりました。（が／を）

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   が

   が is correct here. が marks the thing found. 見みつかる is intransitive, not a passive form; 見みつける focuses on a finder and takes を.

Use it today

Make two sentences with 見みつかる, one in the polite past and one negative. Check the forms and particles against the table and examples.