The Meaning of mikomi [見込み] In Japanese

見込み
みこみ
Romaji: mikomi N3

What does 見込み mean?

Translation and Meaning

prospect, expectation, forecast; likelihood, chance

Definition

見込み refers to the expected outcome or probability that something will occur, based on current indicators, data, or trends; it denotes a forecast or the level of likelihood of a future event, rather than certainty.

Type

Noun (名詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • Prospect or forecast within plans and projections, describing the expected result of an action or project.
  • Likelihood or probability that something will occur, described as high, medium, or low based on evidence.
  • A term used in business contexts to refer to potential customers in early stages (見込み客).

Etymology

Phonetic evolution: The reading mikomi comes from combining 見 (mi) with 込み (komi) from 込む, forming a compound that is pronounced mikomi; the sense evolved from “what is seen and included” to the general notion of an estimated future outcome.

Composition

  • 見 – see, look; used here to denote looking ahead or foreseeing
  • 込み – from 込む, meaning to be included or integrated, indicating that factors are included in the assessment

Usage

Used primarily in formal or semi-formal contexts such as business reports, project planning, and market analysis to express an estimated outcome or probability; common collocations include measures of likelihood and phrases that indicate forecasted results, and it appears in compounds like 見込み客 and verbs like 見込む.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: See what is included in the numbers and use it to form an ahead-looking forecast; imagine you are looking at a chart and the data you see is ‘included’ in your expectation.

Variations

  • 予想 (yosou) — forecast
  • 可能性 (kanosei) — possibility, likelihood
  • 見通し (mitooshi) — outlook, prospect

Example Phrases

  • 来週の会議で見込みが立つか、まだわからない。
    Raishū no kaigi de mikomi ga tatsu ka, mada wakaranai.
    It’s not yet clear whether there is a prospect at next week’s meeting.
    Lista:
    • 来週 (raishū) – next week
    • の (no) – of
    • 会議で (kaigi de) – at the meeting
    • 見込み (mikomi) – prospect
    • が (ga) – subject marker
    • 立つ (tatsu) – to stand
    • か (ka) – question particle
    • まだ (mada) – yet
    • わからない (wakaranai) – not know
    見込み means ‘prospect’ or ‘likelihood’. Here, 「見込み」が立つ expresses that a prospect/outlook is established for something (in this case, the next meeting).
見込み