漁あさる

あ

さ

る

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

漁る · godan verb (-ru)

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	漁あさる	漁あさらない
Polite	漁あさります	漁あさりません
Past polite	漁あさりました	漁あさりませんでした
Past	漁あさった	漁あさらなかった
Te-form	漁あさって	漁あさらないで
Desire	漁あさりたい	漁あさりたくない
Potential	漁あされる	漁あされない
Passive	漁あさられる	漁あさられない
Causative	漁あさらせる	漁あさらせない
Causative passive	漁あさらせられるalso 漁あさらされる	漁あさらせられないalso 漁あさらされない
Volitional	漁あさろう
Polite volitional	漁あさりましょう
Imperative	漁あされ	漁あさるな
Conditional	漁あされば	漁あさらなければ
Tara conditional	漁あさったら	漁あさらなかったら

Meanings

godan verb (-ru), transitive verb

fish; gather seafood

Original meaning: to gather fish or shellfish by hand or with simple tools. Now somewhat literary or poetic; modern everyday 'fishing' is usually 釣る or 漁をする.

浜はま辺べで貝かいを漁あさる子こ供どもたち。
Children gathering shellfish on the beach.

godan verb (-ru), transitive verb

scavenge; rummage; hunt for

Only with reading あさる

Common modern use: searching through something (trash, shelves, pockets, etc.) to find something useful or desired. Often implies a slightly messy or desperate search.

彼かれはゴミ箱ばこを漁あさって、まだ使つかえる部ぶ品ひんを探さがした。
He rummaged through the trash can looking for parts that could still be used.
古ふる本ほん屋やで面おも白しろい本ほんを漁あさるのが好すきだ。
I like hunting for interesting books at secondhand bookstores.

auxiliary verb, godan verb (-ru)

binge on; go on a spree of

Only with reading あさる

Attaches to the continuative form of another verb (e.g., 買い漁る, 読み漁る) to mean doing that action excessively or indiscriminately. Often translated as 'binge-verb' or 'verb like crazy'.

週しゅう末まつにネットで服ふくを買かい漁あさった。
I went on a clothes-buying spree online over the weekend.
彼かれは図と書しょ館かんで推すい理り小しょう説せつを読よみ漁あさっている。
He's binge-reading mystery novels at the library.

See all 24 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈場ば所しょ〉を漁あさるto rummage through a place searching for something
彼かれは押おし入いれを漁あさって古ふるい写しゃ真しんを見みつけた。
He rummaged through the closet and found some old photos.
〈動どう詞し〉＋漁あさるattached to a verb's continuative stem to mean doing that action obsessively or indiscriminately
彼かれは珍めずらしい古ふる本ほんを求もとめて古こ書しょ店てんを巡めぐり、面おも白しろそうな本ほんを買かい漁あさった。
Searching for rare old books, he went from used bookstore to bookstore, buying up anything interesting.
〈物もの〉を漁あさるto dig through something (e.g. trash, pockets, files) looking for what one wants
ホームレスの男おとこがゴミ箱ばこを漁あさって食たべ物ものを探さがしていた。
A homeless man was digging through the trash can looking for food.

Kanji

漁fishing, fishery

Related words

探さがすN5sense 2
探す is the neutral verb for 'search for/look for', while 漁る adds a nuance of rummaging messily or desperately through things.
釣つるN4sense 1
釣る is the everyday modern verb for 'to fish' with a rod or line, whereas 漁る in this sense is an older, more literary word for gathering fish or shellfish.
物ぶっ色しょく sense 2
物色する means to scout or look around for something suitable, a calmer and more neutral act than the messy rummaging implied by 漁る.
狩かる
漁る suggests a disorderly rummaging or scavenging search, whereas 狩る implies a systematic, purposeful hunt or gathering.

Don't confuse with

荒あらすN1sense 2
荒らす sounds similar to 漁る but means to ravage, damage, or plunder something, not to search through it.
探さぐるN2sense 2
探る means to probe or feel around cautiously for information or objects, while 漁る implies a rougher, more thorough rummaging.

Word family

買かい漁あさる
buy up; scoop up; snap up
漁あさり
searching; rummaging; scavenging · fishing; collecting shells
ゴミ漁あさり
dumpster diving; scavenging through trash
読よみ漁あさる
read widely; read voraciously; read everything one can find

Written forms

漁るUsage42%
- あさる
  Standard kanji spelling for all modern senses.
- すなどる
  out-dated reading
- いさる
  out-dated reading
あさるUsage57%
Kana spelling is common in casual writing, especially for the 'scavenge/rummage' and 'binge' senses.
すなどるUsage<1%
out-dated reading
いさる
out-dated reading

Etymology

Originally meant 'to gather seafood by hand'. The kanji 漁 (fishing) reflects this origin. The modern 'scavenge/rummage' sense developed from the image of picking through things, and the auxiliary verb use extends this to doing any action voraciously.