Japanese symbol for “probe”
探査
たんさ
Romaji: tansa
probe; inquiry; enquiry; investigation
In Japanese, probe is 探査, read たんさ (tansa).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n, vs, vt probe; inquiry; enquiry; investigation
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “probe”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 探り | さぐり saguri | sounding; probing; probe |
| プローブ | プローブ puroobu | probe; inquiry; investigation |
| ゾンデ | ゾンデ zonde | probe; sound |
| 様子見 | ようすみ yousumi | probe; probing move |
| 探査機 | たんさき tansaki | (space) probe |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 探す | さがす sagasu | to search for; to look for; to hunt for |
| 探検 | たんけん tanken | exploration; expedition |
| 探索 | たんさく tansaku | search; lookup; hunt |
| 探偵 | たんてい tantei | detective; investigator; sleuth |
| 探知 | たんち tanchi | detection |
| 調査 | ちょうさ chousa | investigation; examination; inquiry |
| 検査 | けんさ kensa | inspection (e.g. customs, factory); examination; test |
| 捜査 | そうさ sousa | search (esp. in criminal investigations); investigation; inquiry |
See also: Chinese symbol for “probe”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.