尋ねる · ichidan verb
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 尋ねる | 尋ねない |
| Polite | 尋ねます | 尋ねません |
| Past polite | 尋ねました | 尋ねませんでした |
| Past | 尋ねた | 尋ねなかった |
| Te-form | 尋ねて | 尋ねないで |
| Desire | 尋ねたい | 尋ねたくない |
| Potential | 尋ねられるalso 尋ねれる | 尋ねられないalso 尋ねれない |
| Passive | 尋ねられる | 尋ねられない |
| Causative | 尋ねさせる | 尋ねさせない |
| Causative passive | 尋ねさせられる | 尋ねさせられない |
| Volitional | 尋ねよう | |
| Polite volitional | 尋ねましょう | |
| Imperative | 尋ねろ | 尋ねるな |
| Conditional | 尋ねれば | 尋ねなければ |
| Tara conditional | 尋ねたら | 尋ねなかったら |
ichidan verb, transitive verb
Transitive verb used to ask a person a question or ask about information. It is somewhat more formal or careful than everyday 聞く in many contexts.
I asked a station attendant how to transfer trains.
I was asked about my previous job in the interview.
ichidan verb, transitive verb
search for; seek; look into; investigate
Only when written 尋ねる
Used for seeking someone or something, or looking into a matter; this sense is less common in everyday speech than 探す or 調べる and often feels written or narrative.
He traveled around the country in search of the mother he had been separated from.
I went around old archives looking for the lost records.
I asked the station attendant about the train schedule.
The police are searching for the missing man's whereabouts.
I asked a passerby for directions.
I was asked my name at the reception desk.
尋ねる is a general, slightly formal word for asking something (directions, personal questions), whereas 問い合わせる specifically implies a systematic inquiry to an organization.
尋ねる is a slightly less formal way to ask or inquire, common in polite spoken contexts, whereas 問う carries a stronger sense of formal investigation.
尋ねる is a more formal or literary verb for asking/inquiring, whereas 質問をする is the everyday phrase used in both casual and formal contexts.
wanted person; fugitive