探偵（たんてい、tantei）
- detective

The Japanese word 探偵 （たんてい) means "detective" or "private investigator" in English. It refers to someone who investigates crimes, mysteries, or other matters, often for a fee. 探偵 are skilled in gathering information, interviewing people, and using various techniques to uncover the truth. They can work on a wide range of cases, from finding missing persons to investigating corporate fraud.

⚫︎彼は探偵］として事件を解決した。 Translation: He solved the case as a detective. ⚫︎私は探偵］に浮気調査を依頼した。 Translation: I hired a detective to investigate an affair. ⚫︎その探偵は、その謎を解明するために証拠を集めた。 Translation: The detective gathered evidence to solve the mystery.

You use 探偵 （たんてい) when referring to a detective or a private investigator. It's used in formal and informal contexts. You can use it when discussing investigations, crime stories, or real-life cases involving detectives.

⚫︎The word 探偵 is typically written in kanji. ⚫︎Reading (hiragana): たんてい ⚫︎Kanji: 探偵 ⚫︎There is no variation in the okurigana.

⚫︎私立探偵 （しりつたんてい) - private detective (formal) ⚫︎刑事 （けいじ) - police detective (though a police detective is not the same as a private detective)

There aren't direct antonyms for 探偵, as it is a job title. However, one could consider a criminal to be the opposite, depending on the context.

その探偵は、巧妙なトリックで事件を解決した。 ・Translation: That detective solved the case with a clever trick. ・Explanation: This sentence describes a detective solving a case.

彼女は探偵小説が好きだ。 ・Translation: She likes detective novels. ・Explanation: This sentence illustrates how 探偵 can be used in the context of a genre of literature.

The word 探偵 （たんてい) is a combination of two kanji: 探 (tan), meaning "to search," "to investigate," or "to explore," and 偵 (tei), meaning "to investigate" or "to spy." The combination of these two characters creates the meaning of investigating or searching for the truth.