聞く vs 訊く
Japanese word comparison
Listen to 聞く
Listen to 訊く
| 聞く | 訊く |
|---|---|
ki-KU verb | きく (kiku) verb |
| to listen; to hear; to ask (a question) | to ask, to question; to inquire (often deliberate, factual questioning) |
How they differ
訊く focuses on the act of questioning or interrogating for information and is more narrowly 'ask' than 聞く; 訊く often appears in written or formal contexts and can imply deliberate fact-finding, whereas 聞く is broader and more colloquial.
When to use each
When to use 聞く: Prefer 聞く for everyday speech when asking questions or when you mean 'hear' without specialized nuance.
When to use 訊く: Prefer 訊く when you want to emphasize a deliberate or formal inquiry (common in written, legal, or journalistic contexts).
Side-by-side examples
- 彼にいつ来るか聞いた。
(I asked him when he would come.) - 報告書の内容について詳しく訊いた。
(I questioned them in detail about the contents of the report.)
Register & nuance: 訊く is less common in everyday spoken Japanese and leans toward written, formal, or literary usage compared with the everyday 聞く.