other N2 common casualpolitewritten
〜が気になる — to be worried/curious about ~
〜が気になる ・ がきになる
Meaning
- ~ is on my mind / ~ bothers me / I'm curious about ~ — something draws your attention and won't let go, by itself
Key sentence
試験の結果が気になる。
I keep worrying about the exam results.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun (the thing on your mind) | N + が気になる | 天気が気になる / 彼の一言が気になる |
Examples
隣の人の話し声が気になって眠れない。
The neighbor's voice keeps bothering me, and I can't sleep.
新しい店ができたのが気になる。
I'm curious about the new shop that opened.
Easily confused with
Notes
- Contrast the transitive pair 気にする ('to mind / worry about on purpose', controllable — 気にしないで = 'don't worry about it') with 気になる, where something spontaneously bothers you whether you want it to or not.
See 〜が気になる in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜が気になる the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in Jengo