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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Frequency#—DifficultyVery Hard
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
Listen & Choose the Meaning
Choose the correct answer:
About 詢
詢Simplified
13Strokes
言Radical
非语素字non-morpheme character (n-m.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank
Podcast: 詢
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.
Memory Mnemonic
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.
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.
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.
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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Cultural Notes for 詢
🏮Cultural insight
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.
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[TángchūSìDàjiā]歐陽詢
轮询to poll輪詢
追询to interrogate追詢
Exercise 1 of 4
Compound Meaning
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.
It is less common in casual conversation; prefer 问 for everyday situations.
No, both mean to inquire, but 询问 is more commonly used.
