偵 means “spy, investigate”
てい · tei
- On'yomi (Chinese reading)
- テイ
JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 11 strokes
The story
A person (亻) beside 貞, which once meant to divine: picture someone reading clues the way a fortune teller reads signs. 探偵 is a private detective, as in 名探偵コナン, Detective Conan, and 偵察 is scouting out the enemy.
Used in 探偵 (tantei, detective), 偵察 (teisatsu, reconnaissance), and 内偵 (naitei, secret investigation)
More from Prisons & Penalties
- 拷 torture
- 囚 prisoner
- 錮 confinement
- 勾 bend
- 逮 arrest
- 刑 penalty
- 罰 punishment
- 懲 punish
- 拘 detain
- 獄 prison
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Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.