察 chá — examine; inquire; observe; inspect; look into; to examine
他仔细观察着这只小昆虫。Tā zǐ xì guān chá zhe zhè zhī xiǎo kūn chóng.He carefully observed this little insect.
Common words: 警察 (jǐng chá)、观察 (guān chá)、考察 (kǎo chá)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "inquire"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "inquire", including 察 (chá), 访 (fǎng), 询 (xún). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "inquire" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 察 (chá), 访 (fǎng), 询 (xún) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span chá, fǎng, xún — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 察 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 察 cháexamine; inquire; observe; inspect; look into; to examineUseful words: 警察, 观察
- 访 fǎnginquire; seek; visitUseful words: 访问, 采访
- 询 xúninquireUseful words: 咨询, 询问
Common words for these 3 "inquire" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 察 (chá) — so "inquire" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
警察jǐng chápolice; police officer观察guān cháto observe; to watch; to survey考察kǎo cháto inspect; to observe and study; on-the-spot investigation访问fǎng wènto visit; to call on (a person or place); (computing) to visit (a website); to access (a network resource etc)采访cǎi fǎngto interview; to gather news; to hunt for and collect; to cover拜访bài fǎngto pay a visit; to call on咨询zī xúnto inquire; to consult; to seek advice from询问xún wènto inquire查询chá xúnto check; to inquire; to consult (a document etc); inquiry
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "inquire".
访 fǎng — inquire; seek; visit
记者去农村采访了几位老人。Jì zhě qù nóng cūn cǎi fǎng le jǐ wèi lǎo rén.The reporter went to the countryside to interview some elderly people.
Common words: 访问 (fǎng wèn)、采访 (cǎi fǎng)、拜访 (bài fǎng)
询 xún — inquire
有问题可以向老师询问。Yǒu wèn tí kě yǐ xiàng lǎo shī xún wèn.If you have questions, you can ask the teacher.
Common words: 咨询 (zī xún)、询问 (xún wèn)、查询 (chá xún)
All 3 characters
Open 察、访、询 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.