How to Read “Hearing and seeing are very different”
Kiku to miru to wa ōchigai
Meaning of “Hearing and seeing are very different”
This proverb means that imagining something based on what others tell you is completely different from actually seeing and experiencing it yourself.
The impression you get and how deeply you understand something change dramatically between hearing and experiencing.
Everyone has had this experience. No matter how detailed an explanation you hear, actually experiencing something often turns out very different from what you imagined.
The beauty of scenery, the taste of food, how hard a job is, someone’s charm—there are so many things that words alone cannot fully convey.
This proverb teaches us the importance of taking action. It tells us not to think we understand something just from hearing about it.
We need to verify things for ourselves. It also suggests we should be humble about the limits of words when trying to communicate something to others.
Today, people still use this saying to emphasize the value of experience. It appears alongside similar expressions about firsthand knowledge being worth more than secondhand information.
Origin and Etymology
The exact origin of this proverb is unclear. However, it was likely already widely used among common people during the Edo period.
This expression probably arose naturally from people’s everyday experiences.
The structure contrasting two senses—”hearing” and “seeing”—is very easy to understand in Japanese. This clarity probably helped the saying spread.
Humans have five senses. Among them, “hearing” was chosen to symbolize indirect information gathering, while “seeing” represents direct experience.
What’s interesting is the order: “hearing and seeing.” This might reflect the natural flow of how humans acquire information.
We first hear about something from someone else. Then we go and see it with our own eyes. This has been our pattern of experience throughout history.
The Edo period had limited means of communication. Stories about travels, business, and distant places mostly spread by word of mouth.
That’s why this proverb emphasizing the importance of personal experience resonated so deeply with people.
It’s a truly Japanese expression that captures the wisdom of common people’s daily lives.
Usage Examples
- I saw the scenery in the travel brochure, but when I actually came here, hearing and seeing are very different—I’m so moved
- After I started cooking classes, I realized that reading recipes and actually cooking are hearing and seeing are very different
Universal Wisdom
Humans are creatures who share information through words. But we’re also creatures who know the limits of words.
This proverb has been passed down for so long because humanity has understood since ancient times that some truths cannot be fully conveyed through words alone.
No matter how eloquently someone speaks or how detailed their explanation, it cannot match the overwhelming amount of information that actual experience provides.
The beauty of scenery, the smell of the air, the temperature on your skin, the atmosphere of a place, and above all, the moment your heart moves—these things lose most of their richness when converted into the symbols we call words.
But this is exactly why humans take action. We don’t settle for just hearing about something.
We walk with our own feet, see with our own eyes, and touch with our own hands. This curiosity has been the driving force that makes humans grow and civilizations develop.
This proverb touches on the essence of human intellectual curiosity. We instinctively cannot be satisfied with only indirect information.
The desire to verify and experience things for ourselves is one of the most fundamental human urges.
When AI Hears This
When humans see with their eyes, the brain processes about 10 million bits of information per second.
On the other hand, when conveying something to someone in words, humans can only speak at about 50 bits per second.
This means that to convey what you saw in words, you must compress it to 1/200,000th of the original information.
Claude Shannon, the founder of information theory, mathematically proved that compressing information always means losing something.
For example, when you shrink a high-quality photo to send by email, the image becomes grainy. Information compression has limits.
The act of conveying something in words is exactly this extreme compression process.
What’s even more interesting is that humans unconsciously choose what to keep and what to discard.
Someone who sees a red car might prioritize color and say “there was a red car.” Another person might prioritize type and say “there was a luxury car.”
Even seeing the same scene, people judge different elements as important when their brains compress the information.
This means the listener only receives information that has been reduced to 1/200,000th through the speaker’s filter.
This proverb describes a phenomenon where the physical laws of information compression appear in human relationships.
The difference between hearsay and direct experience isn’t a matter of preference or feeling. It’s an absolute difference in the amount of information.
Lessons for Today
We live in an age overflowing with information. Search the internet and you can instantly find photos of places you’ve never been and reviews of food you’ve never eaten.
But this proverb reminds us of something important. Gathering information and actually experiencing something are two different things.
If you’re hesitating about trying something new, remember this proverb.
It’s good to use other people’s opinions and evaluations as references. But ultimately, you won’t know the truth unless you experience it yourself.
If you only gather information because you fear failure, you won’t move forward.
At the same time, this proverb teaches us humility. When you convey your own experiences to others, understanding that words alone cannot fully express everything makes you more careful.
You’ll try harder to communicate well. And you’ll encourage the other person to experience it themselves.
Precisely because we live in a modern age where we might drown in a sea of information, we should treasure the value of experiences.
Actually going places, moving our hands, and feeling with our hearts—these experiences matter.
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