Japanese reference
尋ねる
たずねる
to ask; inquire
Regular · 32 form tables
Rows describe verb forms and levels of politeness. Honorific and humble forms are labeled separately. Strong commands appear under additional forms.
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Basic
Non past
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| Dictionary form | たずねる (tazuneru)ask |
| Polite, masu | たずねます (tazunemasu)ask |
Negative
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| Negative, nai | たずねない (tazunenai)do not ask |
| Polite negative | たずねません (tazunemasen)do not ask |
Past
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| Past, ta | たずねた (tazuneta)asked |
| Polite past | たずねました (tazunemashita)asked |
Past negative
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| Past negative | たずねなかった (tazunenakatta)did not ask |
| Polite past negative | たずねませんでした (tazunemasendeshita)did not ask |
Linking
Te form
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| Te-form | たずねて (tazunete)asking (and then) |
| Polite te-form | たずねまして (tazunemashite)asking (and then) |
Te iru
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| Te-iru: ongoing action / resulting state | たずねている (tazuneteiru)be asking |
| Polite te-iru | たずねています (tazuneteimasu)be asking |
Conditional, ba
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| Conditional, ba | たずねれば (tazunereba)if you ask |
| Rare literary polite conditional | たずねますれば (tazunemasureba)if you ask (rare and literary). In ordinary polite conversation, use the plain conditional and make the main clause polite |
Conditional, tara
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| Conditional, tara | たずねたら (tazunetara)if you ask |
| Polite conditional, tara | たずねましたら (tazunemashitara)if you ask |
Mood
Potential
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| Potential | たずねられる (tazunerareru)can ask |
| Polite potential | たずねられます (tazuneraremasu)can ask |
Volitional
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| Volitional | たずねよう (tazuneyou)let's ask! |
| Polite volitional | たずねましょう (tazunemashou)let's ask! |
Desire, tai
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| Desire, tai | たずねたい (tazunetai)want to ask |
| Polite desire, tai | たずねたいです (tazunetaidesu)want to ask |
Voice
Passive
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| Passive | たずねられる (tazunerareru)be affected when someone asks |
| Polite passive | たずねられます (tazuneraremasu)be affected when someone asks |
Causative
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| Causative | たずねさせる (tazunesaseru)make or let someone ask |
| Polite causative | たずねさせます (tazunesasemasu)make or let someone ask |
Causative passive
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| Causative-passive | たずねさせられる (tazunesaserareru)be made to ask |
| Polite causative-passive | たずねさせられます (tazunesaseraremasu)be made to ask |
Commands
Negative imperative
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| Negative imperative | たずねるな (tazuneruna)do not ask! |
| Polite negative request | たずねないでください (tazunenaidekudasai)please do not ask |
Polite
Polite non past
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| Polite non-past form | たずねます (tazunemasu)ask |
Polite negative
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| Polite negative form | たずねません (tazunemasen)do not ask |
Polite past
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| Polite past form | たずねました (tazunemashita)asked |
Polite past negative
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| Polite past negative form | たずねませんでした (tazunemasendeshita)did not ask |
Requests
Request with kudasai
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| Request with kudasai | たずねてください (tazunetekudasai)please ask |
Negative request
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| Request not to act | たずねないでください (tazunenaidekudasai)please do not ask |
Invitation with mashou
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| Invitation with mashou | たずねましょう (tazunemashou)let's ask! |
Permission
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| Permission | たずねてもいい (tazunetemoii)may ask |
| Polite permission | たずねてもいいです (tazunetemoiidesu)may ask |
Not allowed
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| Not allowed | たずねてはいけない (tazunetehaikenai)must not ask |
| Polite prohibition | たずねてはいけません (tazunetehaikemasen)must not ask |
Instruction with nasai
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| Instruction with nasai | たずねなさい (tazunenasai)ask (instruction) |
Aspect
Try doing
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| Try doing | たずねてみる (tazunetemiru)try to ask |
| Polite try doing | たずねてみます (tazunetemimasu)try to ask |
Completion or regret
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| Completion or regret | たずねてしまう (tazuneteshimau)ask completely or regrettably |
| Polite completion or regret | たずねてしまいます (tazuneteshimaimasu)ask completely or regrettably |
Preparation
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| Preparation | たずねておく (tazuneteoku)ask in advance |
| Polite preparation | たずねておきます (tazuneteokimasu)ask in advance |
Past experience
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| Past experience | たずねたことがある (tazunetakotogaaru)have the experience of: asked |
| Polite past experience | たずねたことがあります (tazunetakotogaarimasu)have the experience of: asked |
Conditions
Automatic result, to
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| Automatic result, to | たずねると (tazuneruto)whenever you ask |
| Polite automatic result | たずねますと (tazunemasuto)whenever you ask |
Given that, nara
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| Given that, nara | たずねるなら (tazunerunara)if you mean to ask |
Probability
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| Probability | たずねるだろう (tazunerudarou)probably ask |
| Polite probability | たずねるでしょう (tazunerudeshou)probably ask |
Additional forms
Strong command
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| Imperative | たずねろ (tazunero)ask! |
| Polite request | たずねてください (tazunetekudasai)please ask |
Forms from the Loquus reference. Only supplied forms are shown. Browse all Japanese entries.