Meaning

Primary

To See Something's True Nature

Alternatives

To See Through, To Find Out

Word Type

transitive verb, godan verb

Explanation

You know 抜く means "to pull something out." Whenever you see something and pull something out of it, you're able to see something's true nature. You're able to see through things like situations, lies, and people.

Reading

みぬく
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

This is the reading for 見る and 抜く put together.

Context

Context Sentences

首藤さんは人の素質を見抜くのがうまいんですよ。

Mr Suto is a good at seeing people's true nature.

うちの母親は父親のウソを見抜くのがうまい。

My mother is great at seeing through my father’s lies.

近ごろ石油の供給が少なくなってきているのは知っていましたが、その理由は見抜けませんでした。

I knew that oil supplies have been dwindling in recent years, but I wasn't able to find out why.

Kanji Composition