How to say "fathom" in Japanese

• 尋ひろ
  nounA unit of length, not the verb: the Japanese measure based on the span of outstretched arms, used chiefly for the depth of water and conventionally equated with the English 'fathom'. It never means 'to work out' something.
• ファゾム
  nounThe katakana borrowing of the English unit name, so like 尋 it refers only to the measure of length. It is not a way to say 'to fathom' in the sense of figuring something out.
• うかがい知るうかがいしる
  godan verb, transitive verbThe verb sense of 'fathom': to infer or get an idea of something hidden, especially a person's feelings or intentions, as in 'I could never fathom her'. It is not a unit of measurement.
  彼かれがどうなっているか私にはうかがいしる事ことができない。↗

  I cannot guess at all what is going on with him.

For the unit of length used at sea, choose between 尋, the traditional Japanese measure, and 「ファゾム」, the katakana rendering of the English term; for the verb meaning to work out something hidden, use 「うかがい知る」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 尋ひろfathom
• ファゾムfathom
• うかがい知るうかがいしるto infer