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道Nihongo Path

Word 1363 of 2920

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窺う

うかがう

to peek; to watch for (a chance); to sense (a mood)

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Examples

  1. 彼は相手の顔色を窺った。

    かれはあいてのかおいろをうかがった。

    He watched the other person's expression carefully.

  2. ドアの隙間から中の様子を窺った。

    ドアのすきまからなかのようすをうかがった。

    I peeked through the gap in the door to see what was going on inside.

  3. 彼はずっとチャンスを窺っていた。

    かれはずっとチャンスをうかがっていた。

    He had been watching for his chance the whole time.

Common patterns

様子を窺う
to see how things stand
顔色を窺う
to read someone's mood
機会を窺う
to watch for an opportunity

Memory tip

Same reading as the humble 伺う ('to ask; to visit'), but a different word: 窺う is observing on the sly or waiting for an opening. 顔色を窺う means nervously reading someone's mood.

Kanji in this word

  • 窺Not in the N5–N1 kanji lists

Quick check

1 / 2Multiple choiceDifficulty 3 of 5

What does 窺う mean?