探たん偵てい

noun

detective; investigator; sleuth

Refers to a person who investigates cases, mysteries, missing people, infidelity, and similar matters; often used for private detectives as well as fictional detectives.

• 彼かの女じょは私し立りつ探たん偵ていに夫おっとの行方ゆくえを調しらべてもらった。

  She had a private detective look into her husband's whereabouts.

• この小しょう説せつの主しゅ人じん公こうは若わかい探たん偵ていだ。

  The protagonist of this novel is a young detective.

noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', transitive verb

detective work; secret investigation; investigate secretly

As a noun this can refer to detective work or secret investigation. The する-verb use, as in 探偵する, is much less common in modern everyday Japanese than 調査する or 探る and can sound written or old-fashioned.

• 古ふるい文ぶん章しょうでは、「敵てき情じょうを探たん偵ていする」のように、ひそかに調しらべる意い味みで使つかわれることがある。

  In older writing, expressions like 敵情を探偵する may be used to mean investigating the enemy's situation secretly.