Meaning
訪 means visiting or calling on someone — going out of your way to see a specific person at their home, office, or wherever they are. Unlike a chance encounter, there's clear intent: you made the trip for them. Beyond face-to-face visits, 訪 also describes things that arrive or come upon a place — a season, an opportunity, or even misfortune.
訪 breaks down into two parts: 言 (ごんべん, the speech radical) on the left, and 方 (ほう, direction or person) on the right. Speech aimed in a direction — you go toward someone to talk with them. The structure mirrors the act.
With 11 strokes, 訪 is taught in grade 6 elementary school. Part of the 言 radical family — kanji tied to speech and communication — it sits naturally among characters about speaking, asking, and connecting. At N2, it turns up often in news headlines, formal correspondence, and business writing.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
On'yomi: ホウ (hō). This reading appears almost exclusively in compound words — the kind found in news articles, business emails, and diplomatic reports.
- 訪問 (hōmon) — a visit; calling on someone at their home or office
- 来訪 (raihō) — an incoming visit; when someone comes to see you
- 歴訪 (rekihō) — a tour of successive visits to multiple places
- 探訪 (tanbō) — an investigative visit; going somewhere for research or journalism
- 訪日 (hōnichi) — visiting Japan; used when a foreign official comes to Japan
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
訪 has two kun'yomi readings. Both mean visiting, but they carry different tones.
たず(ねる) — tazuneru: Used for personal visits — dropping in on a friend, stopping by a teacher's office, checking on family. There's warmth to it. It also carries the sense of asking or inquiring, which ties back to the 言 (speech) component.
- 友人を訪ねる (yūjin wo tazuneru) — to visit a friend
- 恩師を訪ねる (onshi wo tazuneru) — to visit one's former teacher
おとず(れる) — otozureru: More literary in feel. Use it when something arrives — a season, a mood, a stretch of calm. Physical visits work too, but the word has a poetic weight that たずねる lacks.
- 春が訪れる (haru ga otozureru) — spring arrives
- 故郷を訪れる (furusato wo otozureru) — to visit one's hometown
Common Words & Compounds
訪 appears in compounds across formal and everyday registers. Here are the key ones, grouped by theme.
Core Compounds — Visits & Travel
- 訪問 (hōmon) — a visit; calling on someone at their home or office
- 来訪 (raihō) — an incoming visit; someone coming to see you
- 訪問者 (hōmonsha) — a visitor
- 訪問客 (hōmonkyaku) — a visiting guest; a caller
- 訪問着 (hōmongi) — a formal kimono worn when paying visits
Diplomatic & Official Visits
- 訪日 (hōnichi) — visiting Japan (e.g., a foreign leader's trip to Japan)
- 訪欧 (hōō) — visiting Europe
- 訪中 (hōchū) — visiting China
- 歴訪 (rekihō) — a tour of successive visits to multiple countries or places
Investigative & Literary Visits
- 探訪 (tanbō) — an investigative or journalistic visit
- 訪問販売 (hōmon hanbai) — door-to-door sales
- 訪問看護 (hōmon kango) — home nursing care; nurses who visit patients at home
Example Sentences
先週、友人の家を訪ねました。
Senshū, yūjin no ie wo tazunemashita.
Last week, I visited my friend's house.
春が静かに訪れた。
Haru ga shizuka ni otozureta.
Spring arrived quietly.
社長は取引先を訪問するために出発した。
Shachō wa torihikisaki wo hōmon suru tame ni shuppatsu shita.
The company president left to visit a business partner.
外国の大統領が訪日した。
Gaikoku no daitōryō ga hōnichi shita.
A foreign president visited Japan.
彼女は故郷を訪れ、懐かしい思い出に浸った。
Kanojo wa furusato wo otozure, natsukashii omoide ni hitatta.
She visited her hometown and was swept up in old memories.
訪問看護師が毎週祖母の家に来てくれる。
Hōmon kangoshi ga maishū sobo no ie ni kite kureru.
A visiting nurse comes to my grandmother's house every week.
記者は地方の伝統工芸を探訪した。
Kisha wa chihō no dentō kōgei wo tanbō shita.
The journalist went on an investigative visit to local traditional crafts.
不幸が突然彼を訪れた。
Fukō ga totsuzen kare wo otozureta.
Misfortune suddenly visited him.
彼は恩師を訪ね、卒業後の近況を報告した。
Kare wa onshi wo tazune, sotsugyōgo no kinkyō wo hōkoku shita.
He visited his former teacher and caught him up on life since graduation.
平和な時代がついにこの地を訪れた。
Heiwa na jidai ga tsui ni kono chi wo otozureta.
A peaceful era finally came to this land.
Memory Tip
言 (speech) + 方 (direction) — you travel toward someone specifically to talk with them. That's visiting. Picture calling a friend (言) and asking, "Which way is your place? (方)" then heading over. That sequence is 訪 in a nutshell.
For Vietnamese learners: the Hán-Việt reading PHỎNG connects directly to phỏng vấn (interview) — you go to someone and ask them questions. Same root idea, same character.