To Be Hearable
To Be Audible, To Be Able To Hear
intransitive verb, ichidan verb
You've seen 聞く by now hopefully. This is similar, but instead of meaning "to hear" it means to be hearable or to be audible. To remember this, just think about how you can hear a こえ (voice) coming from the middle of the word 聞こえる. It's audible to you too, right?
聞こえる is used when sounds reach your ears on their own, like "I can hear music from next door." It's more about what comes to your ears, not what you're trying to listen to. That's why it also means to be able to hear.
The reading comes from 聞く, so if you know the reading of that word, you can apply it here.
声が聞こえる
able to hear someone's voice
耳が聞こえる
able to hear
音が聞こえる
able to hear a sound
聞こえたんだったら、ちゃんと返事してよ！
If you could hear me, you should've said something!
海の音が聞こえますね。
We can hear the sound of the sea.
きつい言い方に聞こえることは分かってるんだけど、つまらない言い訳はしたくないの。
I understand it sounds harsh, but I’m up to my neck in lame excuses.