# 尋ねる
## Japanese

* Kanji in this term
* 尋
* たず Grade: S
* kun'yomi

### Etymology

From Old Japanese 尋ぬ (tazunu), in the 下二段活用 (shimo nidan katsuyō, “lower bigrade conjugation”) pattern.

### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) たずねる [tàzúnéꜜrù] (Nakadaka –)
* IPA: [ta̠zɨne̞ɾɯ̟]
* Tokyo pitch accent of conjugated forms of 「尋ねる」
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary :
| Stem forms ||||
| Terminal (終止形) Attributive (連体形) | 尋ねる | たずねる | [tàzúnéꜜrù] |
| Imperative (命令形) | 尋ねろ | たずねろ | [tàzúnéꜜrò] |
| Key constructions ||||
| Passive | 尋ねられる | たずねられる | [tàzúnéráréꜜrù] |
| Causative | 尋ねさせる | たずねさせる | [tàzúnésáséꜜrù] |
| Potential | 尋ねられる | たずねられる | [tàzúnéráréꜜrù] |
| Volitional | 尋ねよう | たずねよー | [tàzúnéyóꜜò] |
| Negative | 尋ねない | たずねない | [tàzúnéꜜnàì] |
| Negative perfective | 尋ねなかった | たずねなかった | [tàzúnéꜜnàkàttà] |
| Formal | 尋ねます | たずねます | [tàzúnémáꜜsù] |
| Perfective | 尋ねた | たずねた | [tàzúꜜnètà] |
| Conjunctive | 尋ねて | たずねて | [tàzúꜜnètè] |
| Hypothetical conditional | 尋ねれば | たずねれば | [tàzúnéꜜrèbà] |
* Homophone: 訪ねる

### Verb

尋(たず)ねる • (tazuneru) transitive ichidan (stem 尋(たず)ね (tazune), past 尋(たず)ねた (tazuneta))
* ask (a question)
    Synonyms: 聞く (kiku), (humble) 伺う (ukagau)
    道(みち)を尋(たず)ねる
       michi o tazuneru
       to ask for directions
* search, look for, investigate
    Synonym: 探す (sagasu)
    生(い)き別(わか)れの子(こ)を尋(たず)ねる
       ikiwakare no ko o tazuneru
       to search for a long-lost child
    真(しん)理(り)を尋(たず)ねる
       shinri o tazuneru
       to seek truth
** 1916, 与謝野晶子, 私娼の撲滅について [On the Eradication of Unlicensed Prostitution]:
    こういう不(ふ)徳(とく)な職業(しょくぎょう)の起(き)源(げん)を尋(たず)ねることはむずかしい。
       Kōiu futoku na shokugyō no kigen o tazuneru koto wa muzukashii.
       It is difficult to investigate the origin of such an immoral occupation.

#### Conjugation

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms") :
| Mizenkei ("imperfective") | 尋ね | たずね | tazune |
| Ren’yōkei ("continuative") | 尋ね | たずね | tazune |
| Shūshikei ("terminal") | 尋ねる | たずねる | tazuneru |
| Rentaikei ("attributive") | 尋ねる | たずねる | tazuneru |
| Kateikei ("hypothetical") | 尋ねれ | たずねれ | tazunere |
| Meireikei ("imperative") | 尋ねよ¹ 尋ねろ² | たずねよ¹ たずねろ² | tazuneyo¹ tazunero² |
| Key constructions ||||
| Passive | 尋ねられる | たずねられる | tazunerareru |
| Causative | 尋ねさせる 尋ねさす | たずねさせる たずねさす | tazunesaseru tazunesasu |
| Potential | 尋ねられる 尋ねれる³ | たずねられる たずねれる³ | tazunerareru tazunereru³ |
| Volitional | 尋ねよう | たずねよう | tazuneyō |
| Negative | 尋ねない 尋ねぬ 尋ねん | たずねない たずねぬ たずねん | tazunenai tazunenu tazunen |
| Negative continuative | 尋ねず | たずねず | tazunezu |
| Formal | 尋ねます | たずねます | tazunemasu |
| Perfective | 尋ねた | たずねた | tazuneta |
| Conjunctive | 尋ねて | たずねて | tazunete |
| Hypothetical conditional | 尋ねれば | たずねれば | tazunereba |
| ¹ Written imperative ² Spoken imperative ³ Colloquial potential ||||

#### Related terms

* お尋(たず)ね (otazune): (n.) asking (for polite)

### References

* ↑ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
* ↑ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
* ↑ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN