探ります（さぐります、sagurimasu）
- to probe

The Japanese verb 探ります （さぐります） primarily means "to probe," "to investigate," "to explore," "to feel for," or "to feel out." It implies a careful and often cautious action, whether physically searching for something or figuratively exploring a topic, situation, or person's thoughts. It suggests a process of gathering information or assessing a situation by touch, inquiry, or observation. The core concept involves trying to discover something hidden, unknown, or uncertain. The meaning varies slightly depending on the context, but it always conveys a sense of careful examination or investigation. The verb describes actions where something is being sought. The 探り(さぐり) means probing or exploring.

⚫︎犯人（はんにん）の居場所（いばしょ）を 探ります Translation: I'm trying to find the criminal's whereabouts. ⚫︎社長（しゃちょう）の本当（ほんとう）の思（おも）いを 探りたい Translation: I want to find out the president's true thoughts. ⚫︎暗闇（くらやみ）の中（なか）で、道（みち）を 探りながら歩（ある）いた Translation: I walked in the darkness, feeling my way.

This word is appropriate in many situations when one is trying to discover information, assess a situation, or feel for something. ⚫︎It's used when gathering information, such as investigating a crime, questioning someone, or researching a topic. ⚫︎It can describe the action of physically searching for something, like feeling around in the dark. ⚫︎It can also mean trying to understand someone's feelings, opinions, or intentions. ⚫︎It is often used in a slightly more formal context, however, it is still commonly used in everyday conversations.

The word is most commonly written in kanji as 探ります （さぐります）. ⚫︎The verb stem is 探（さぐ）. ⚫︎The verb is a godan verb (五段活用動詞). ⚫︎The -masu form is 探（さぐ）ります. ⚫︎The past tense form is 探りました. ⚫︎Variations in okurigana (送りがな, the hiragana attached to the kanji) are rare.

⚫︎調（しら）べる (shiraberu) - to investigate, to examine, to look into ⚫︎調査（ちょうさ）する (chōsa suru) - to investigate, to survey ⚫︎検討（けんとう）する (kentō suru) - to examine, to consider ⚫︎探（さが）す (sagasu) - to search for (usually something specific and visible) ⚫︎尋（たず）ねる (tazuneru) - to inquire, to ask ⚫︎模索（もさく）する (mosaku suru) - to grope for, to explore (in a figurative sense, especially for solutions or ideas)

⚫︎There isn't a single direct antonym for 探ります as it depends on the context. However, some words that express the opposite action would include: ⚫︎無視（むし）する (mushi suru) - to ignore ⚫︎放置（ほうち）する (hōchi suru) - to leave as is, to abandon ⚫︎隠（かく）す (kakusu) - to hide

警察（けいさつ）は事件（じけん）の真相（しんそう）を 探り始（はじ）めた。 ・Translation: The police began to investigate the truth of the incident. ・Explanation: The sentence highlights the use of 探ります to show the police's effort to discover the truth.

彼（かれ）は相手（あいて）の反応（はんのう）を 探りながら話（はな）した。 ・Translation: He spoke while gauging the other person's reaction. ・Explanation: This example shows the use of 探ります to express that the speaker is trying to understand the other person's feelings or thoughts.

The verb 探（さぐ）る (the base form of 探ります) comes from the combination of the kanji 探 (sa, sagu), which means to seek, search, or explore, and the verb ending る (-ru) used to form verbs. The meaning of 探り has been retained with little change from ancient times.