詮 means “scrutinize, after all”

せん · sen

Also: discussion, methods called for, selection, result

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

せんずる, かい, あきらか

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

セン

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 13 strokes

The story

Words (言) that cover everything (全): picture questions that leave no corner unturned. 詮索 is prying into other people's business, and 所詮, when all is said and done, is a shrug: 所詮は他人事, it's someone else's problem after all.

Used in 所詮 (shosen, after all), 詮索 (sensaku, prying), and 詮議 (sengi, inquiry/deliberation)

More from Speak & Explain

• 謝 apologize
• 訳 translation
• 釈 explain
• 喚 call out
• 陳 display
• 尋 ask
• 啓 open
• 諭 admonish
• 挨 push close
• 拶 press close

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Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.