突つき止とめる

つ

き

と

め

る

JLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

ichidan verb, transitive verb

determine; pin down; ascertain; locate; identify

Used for tracking down and confirming a fact, cause, culprit, or location after investigation. Often implies persistent effort.

警けい察さつは事じ件けんの原げん因いんを突つき止とめた。
The police determined the cause of the incident.

彼かれはついに犯はん人にんの居い場ば所しょを突つき止とめた。

He finally tracked down the culprit's whereabouts.

2

ichidan verb, transitive verb

stab to death

archaic

Archaic meaning; related to 突き殺す. Not used in modern Japanese.

Written forms

突つき止とめるUsage44%
Standard kanji spelling; high-frequency news word.
つきとめるUsage36%
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing when the kanji is not needed.
突つきとめるUsage21%
search-only kanji form
突つき止とめるUsage<1%
search-only kanji form

Kanji

突stab, protruding, thrust
止stop, halt

Similar words

突つき殺ころす
突き殺す is the modern verb for 'stab to death'; 突き止める in this sense is archaic.
特とく定ていする
特定する is more formal and often used in technical or legal contexts for 'identify' or 'specify', while 突き止める implies investigative effort.

Etymology

Compound of 突く (tsuku, 'to thrust, poke') + 止める (tomeru, 'to stop, fix'). The original meaning was 'to stab and stop (someone)', which developed into 'to pin down' and then 'to ascertain, locate'.