How to say "examine" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 調べるしらべるichidan verb, transitive verbThe default choice when you examine something in order to learn the facts: looking up information, checking details, or investigating a matter. If the sense is neither medical nor official, start here.
- 診るみるichidan verb, transitive verbThe word for medical examination: a doctor examining a patient, checking a pulse, or having a look at an injury or illness. It does not serve for examining documents, data, or facts.
- 取り調べるとりしらべるichidan verb, transitive verbTo investigate or examine in an official way, as when investigators examine a case or question a suspect. Seldom the word you want for simply examining something or checking information.
- 省みるかえりみるichidan verb, transitive verbTo examine in the sense of reflecting: thinking back over oneself, one's own conduct, or past actions and weighing them. Its object is inward, not external things.
- ichidan verb, transitive verbTo examine by looking it over: checking or assessing something with your own eyes and forming a judgment about it. Think of looking over a document or plan rather than digging into it.
Use 「調べる」 for examining or investigating information, 「診る」 for medical examination, 「取り調べる」 for official investigation such as questioning a suspect, 「省みる」 for reflecting on oneself, and 「みる」 for looking something over to assess it.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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