inquire · seek

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 尋 is associated with inquiring or seeking; its kun-reading is たずねる and its on-reading is じん.
• Basic usage: 尋ねる(たずねる) means to ask or inquire, while 尋問(じんもん) means interrogation.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Asking for information and interrogating
  • 駅の場所を尋ねた means asked where the station was. 尋ねる is used for asking a clerk for directions or a teacher about something one does not understand.
  • 尋問する means to interrogate, as when a detective questions a suspect in a mystery novel. It specifies an interrogation rather than the everyday asking expressed by 尋ねる.