The different 「みる」 , ho to use them?

[soldieroH]

While studying, I found out that there are 3 different kanji's used for 「みる」 - 「見る」 , 「視る」, 「観る」 , but I dont understand, what is the difference. They all have meaning "to see".

I was wondering, why is it so and how to use properly these kanji?

[NileCat]

The idea is simple.
You can use 見る in most cases. But if you want to convey some additional nuance, you can use the different kanji as an option.
観る has a nuance like “to spectate”.
視る has a nuance like “to inspect” or “to contemplate”.

[furrykef]

Some would say that テレビを観る suggests you're watching TV, and テレビを見る means you're just looking at the TV. You will definitely see 見る used for watching TV, though, so when in doubt, you can always use 見る.

I haven't come across 視る yet, but my experience with real Japanese is rather limited.

[soldieroH]

Thank you very much!

[blutorange]

[Edit: To clear possible misunderstanding, this post does not try to claim that kanji usage is still as "complicated" as it was in the past - as the last quote says, 見 is common now. It claims that, if - for some reason - you wish to adhere to traditional kanji usage, the situation is more complicated than what was said above and tries to shed some light on how exactly the kanji were used.]
I am afraid it is a little more complicated (it provides a few examples so make sure to take a look):

みる【見る（▽観る・▽覧る・▽視る・▽看る・▽診る）】
[…]
◆〔表記〕「診」は診察する意で使う。

診 is used for medical examinations.

「観」は観察・観光のほか、占う、（遠くから)見物する意味合いで、「昆虫の生体を観る・手相を観る・野球[映画]を観る・名所旧跡を観る」などと、

観 is used for observation, sightseeing and fortune-telling.

「視」は正視・監視などの意で「視れば視るほど美しい・対象を客観的に視る・被災地を視る」などと、

視 is used for monitoring, overseeing and watching.

「看」は世話をする意で「病人[赤ん坊]を看る」などと、

看 is used when helping someone out.

「覧」はひととおる目を通す意味合いで「新聞[回状]を覧る」などと

Using 覧 convey a meaning of passing one's eyes over (what you are seeing).

使うが、今は一般に「見」でまかなう。㋥は一般にかな書き。
[…]

Nowadays however, 見 is commonly used. In the meaning of ㋥, using only kana is common. (This refers to constructions such as 読んでみる.)

[NileCat]

Blutorange, I'm afraid things are not that complicated in the practical usage for modern, especially young, people.
For instance, please google and compare the number of the results of “手相を観る” with “手相を見る”. (311,000 vs 4,910,000) I think you might want to consider the ratio too.

[furrykef]

For instance, please google and compare the number of the results of “手相を観る” with “手相を見る”. (311,000 vs 4,910,000) I think you might want to consider the ratio too.

I don't like using google results that way. It's very easy to produce a search that claims to have over a million hits, then you scroll down and you see there are only three pages of results. Google can sometimes tell you if your usage is rare, but it can never tell you if it is common.

[NileCat]

I generally agree with you, furrykef. But in this case, the point is the comparison. I was not saying that “the minor one is also fine because it is used a lot”. Also, I didn't use the numbers blindly.