We have two ways to say “try” in Japanese, but the correct structure depends on the context. The distinction is made based on whether the action of trying requires effort. For instance, you could argue that trying to solve a problem and trying the new restaurant down the road have different meanings. The former requires some effort on your behalf and there’s no guarantee that you will succeed; the latter just requires you to find a free evening. Japanese makes a distinction here and you need to be aware of this when choosing the grammar.
The good news is that we’ve already learnt the grammar required to piece together both structures.
Give Something a Try (〜てみる)
This structure combines the te form of the action verb with the verb “to see”—you will do something and then “see” the result.
【Verb: te Form】みる
When used in this way みる is usually written in hiragana.
その店がいつも混んでいるけど、予約してみるね。
That restaurant is always busy, but I’ll try and book.
こう考えてみてください。
Try thinking about it in this way.
サンバをやってみようと思っている。
I’m thinking of giving Samba a go.
This structure is used to imply that you will try something for the first time.
レバノン料理を食べてみたいです。
I want to try Lebanese food.
昨日は納豆を食べてみたんだけど、やっぱりあまり好きじゃなかった。
I tried natto yesterday but, as I suspected, I didn’t really like it.
やはり and its more informal version, やっぱり, are used to express that the result is as you thought. In this case, you suspected that you wouldn’t like natto before you tried it and it turned out to be the case.
Make an Effort to Try (〜ようとする)
JLPT N4/N3. Used to express effort, imminence, or intention.
Here you will make an effort towards doing something but cannot guarantee the result.
【Verb: Volitional】とする
For the sake of example, let’s use this form on one the example sentences above:
レバノン料理を食べようとする。(✘)
I’ll make an effort to try Lebanese food.
This sentence is unnatural if you mean “I want to see what it tastes like,” because it implies that eating Lebanese food is in some way a difficult challenge. Hence in that context, ～てみる is the correct grammar.
問題を解決しようとします。
To try and solve the problem.
人の考え方を変えようとする。
Try and change someone’s way of thinking.
泥棒は逃げようとしたけど、だめだった。
The robber tried to escape but it was no good.
Just About To (Imminence)
A crucial secondary meaning of 〜ようとする is being “just about to” do something. In this context, it has nothing to do with effort—it simply means you are on the verge of performing the action. This is frequently tested on the JLPT.
出かけようとしたとき、雨が降ってきた。
Just as I was about to leave, it started raining.
レバノン料理を食べようとしたら、電話が鳴った。
Just as I was about to eat the Lebanese food, the phone rang.
No Intention Of (Negative Form)
When you change this grammar to the negative form (〜ようとしない), it carries a very strong nuance. It means that someone “makes no effort to” or “has absolutely no intention of” doing something.
彼は自分の間違いを認めようとしない。
He makes no effort to (refuses to) admit his mistakes.