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詢 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
詢xúnto ask about, to inquire into; to consultx, 13 strokes, radical 言
xún(xun2) T2
  1. 1to ask about, to inquire into; to consult
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March 24, 2026

詢xún(xun2)

詢 (xún) means to ask about or inquire into something, often used in formal contexts such as seeking information or consulting someone. It conveys a sense of thoroughness in gaining understanding and is commonly used in customer service or academic inquiries.

Strokes13Radical言
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, asking questions is often seen as a sign of engagement and respect, particularly in educational and business contexts. The character 詢 reflects the value placed on knowledge and the process of seeking information.

Memory Tip

Think of '詢' as a person with a question mark (the character's shape) on their head, eagerly asking for information. The left side resembles a mouth (言), suggesting speaking or asking, while the right side (詢) can remind you of the act of seeking knowledge.

Meanings of 詢

xún(xun2)
1to ask about, to inquire into; to consult
Exercise 1 of 2

By ear

Play it, then pick what 詢 means.

About 詢

詢Simplified
13Strokes
言Radical
非语素字non-morpheme character (n-m.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 詢

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Podcast: 詢

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AI Study Notes for 詢

Quick Contrast

询 (xún) vs 问 (wèn) — use 询 for formal inquiries and thorough information-seeking, while 问 is more casual and general.

Usage Notes

Be careful not to confuse 詢 with the more casual 提问 (tíwèn), which simply means 'to ask a question.' Use 詢 in more formal settings, such as business communications or when seeking assistance from an authority. Remember to use the correct tone, as xún should be pronounced with a rising tone.

HSK Study Tips

Although 詢 is not part of the official HSK levels, it shares a semantic field with words like 问 (wèn, to ask) and 询问 (xúnwèn, to inquire). Focus on the contexts where you might want to ask for information formally, connecting it with other inquiry-related vocabulary.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 詢 with 问 due to their similar meanings. For instance, saying '我想询一个问题' (Wǒ xiǎng xún yī gè wèntí) can sound overly formal in a casual setting; use '我想问一个问题' instead.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 詢

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Etymology of 詢

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Explanation

Phonosemantic compound. 讠 represents the meaning and 旬 represents the sound. Simplified form of 詢.

Memory Hint

speech

Semantic (meaning)言
+
Phonetic (sound)旬
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters
Exercise 1 of 1

Origin

詢 = 言 + 旬. What kind of character does that make it?

Decomposition of 詢

IDS Structure⿰言旬
詢Full Character
=
言yan2
left
旬xun2
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Parts

Which of these is part of 詢?

How to say to ask about, to inquire into; to consult in Chinese

“to ask about, to inquire into; to consult” in Chinese is詢xún

詢 (xún) means to ask about or inquire into something, often used in formal contexts such as seeking information or consulting someone. It conveys a sense of thoroughness in gaining understanding and is commonly used in customer service or academic inquiries.

When to use 詢

Be careful not to confuse 詢 with the more casual 提问 (tíwèn), which simply means 'to ask a question.' Use 詢 in more formal settings, such as business communications or when seeking assistance from an authority. Remember to use the correct tone, as xún should be pronounced with a rising tone.

詢 or something close to it

询 (xún) vs 问 (wèn) — use 询 for formal inquiries and thorough information-seeking, while 问 is more casual and general.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 詢 with 问 due to their similar meanings. For instance, saying '我想询一个问题' (Wǒ xiǎng xún yī gè wèntí) can sound overly formal in a casual setting; use '我想问一个问题' instead.

Write 詢

詢

Practice writing 詢 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

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Word Family of 詢

Words Containing This Character10
咨询zīxúnto consult咨詢
询问xúnwènto inquire詢問
查询cháxúnto check查詢
询xúnto ask about詢
质询to question質詢
征询to consult徵詢
探询to inquire into探詢
欧阳询Ouyang Xun (557-641), one of Four Great Calligraphers of early Tang 唐初四大家[Táng​chū​Sì​Dà​jiā]歐陽詢
轮询to poll輪詢
追询to interrogate追詢
Exercise 1 of 4

Words with 詢

What does 咨询 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 詢

Use 詢 in formal contexts, such as academic inquiries or business communications, while 问 is more casual.

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