音読み: キュウ
訓読み: きわめる
画数: 7
部首: あなかんむり（穴）
Meaning
Research / Study deeply
- Basic forms
- 究める — to master; to investigate thoroughly / base form
- 究めます — (I) master; investigate thoroughly / masu form
- 究めた — mastered; investigated thoroughly / ta form
- 究めて — master and …; investigate thoroughly and … / te-form
- 究めない — do not master / do not investigate / negative
- 究めれば — if (you) master / if (you) investigate / conditional
- 究めろ・究めなさい — master it! / look into it! / imperative
- Other common forms
- 究めたい — want to master / want to investigate / 〜たい form
- 究められる — can master; can investigate / potential
- 究められない — cannot master / cannot investigate / negative potential
- More
- 原因を究める — to get to the root cause
- 真相を究める — to uncover the truth
- 究めている — is mastering; is investigating
究める（きわめる） is an ichidan verb. Drop る and add endings such as ます, た, て, ない. It’s used for “mastering” a field/skill and for “investigating thoroughly” (getting to the bottom of something).
- 研究 — research
- 探究 — inquiry; exploration
- 追究 — pursuit (of truth, responsibility, etc.)
- 究明 — investigation; clarification
- 究極 — ultimate; final
- 学究 — scholarly study; academic research
究 combines 穴 (a hidden place; “hole”) with 九 (a phonetic element). The core image is “searching deeply into something,” which leads to meanings like research, inquiry, and thorough investigation.