Japanese word

尋問

Pronunciation

Romajijinmon

Meaning

  • nounquestioning

Example

弁護士は証人を尋問しました。ben go shi wa shō nin o jin mon shi ma shi ta

The lawyer questioned the witness.

Illustration for 尋問 (questioning)

More examples

裁判所で尋問が始まりました。sai ban sho de jin mon ga haji ma ri ma shi ta

The questioning began in court.

Core concept

Describes the deliberate use of questions to draw out information from a person, especially in a formal investigation or legal setting.

Common phrases

  • 厳しい尋問kibi shi i jin mon

    strict questioning

  • 尋問を受けるjin mon o u ke ru

    undergo questioning

  • 尋問を行うjin mon o okona u

    conduct questioning

Similar words

取り調べtorishirabe: An authority's questioning of a person to uncover facts about a case or offense.
査問samon: An official examination that uses questions to investigate possible misconduct.

Definition in Japanese

調査や裁判などで、相手に詳しく質問して事実や情報を明らかにすること。chō sa ya sai ban na do de ai te ni kuwa shi ku shitsu mon shi te ji jitsu ya jō hō o aki ra ka ni su ru ko to

Word origin

The Sino-Japanese compound 尋問 (jinmon) joins 尋 (jin, "seek") with 問 (mon, "question"), expressing the act of seeking answers through questions.

Usage tips

  • In English, questioning is neutral, while interrogation often suggests sustained or intense questioning by an authority.

Other meanings

  • interrogationnoun
  • examination of a witnessnoun

Related words

  • 尋問するjinmonsuruinterrogateverb
  • 尋問者jinmonshainterrogatornoun

Word lists with this word