The Difference Between「伺う」と「訪ねる」の違い｜Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)

(Joy bowing to client [Ukagau] vs. Joy visiting a friend [Tazuneru])

“I will visit your office.” vs. “I will visit my friend’s house.”
In Japanese, we change the verb based on who we are visiting. 訪ねる (Tazuneru) is standard. 伺う (Ukagau) is humble (Keigo). Using “Ukagau” correctly makes you sound very professional!

🗣 Conversation Scene

Joy is checking her schedule with Ken.

Joy

明日（あした）、3時（じ）にお客様（きゃくさま）のところへ伺（うかが）います。
(Tomorrow at 3:00, I will “humbly visit” the client’s place.)

Ken

お仕事（しごと）、頑張（がんば）ってください。
私（わたし）は週末（しうまつ）、友達（ともだち）の家（いえ）を訪（たず）ねる予定（よてい）です。
(Good luck with work. As for me, I plan to “visit” my friend’s house this weekend.)

💡 Explanation

Are you visiting a VIP/Superior? Or a friend?

Point 1: Ukagau (伺う) = Humble Visit

Type: Humble Verb (Kenjougo)
Use this when YOU visit a superior (Client, Boss, Teacher). You lower yourself to show respect.
*Note: “Ukagau” also means “to ask” or “to hear” in humble form!

明日（あした）、御社（おんしゃ）に伺います。
(I will visit your company tomorrow.)
先生（せんせい）のお宅（たく）に伺いました。
(I visited the teacher’s house.)

Point 2: Tazuneru (訪ねる) = Standard Visit

Type: Standard Verb
Use this for friends, family, or general narration. It simply means “to pay a visit”. It is polite but neutral.

京都（きょうと）のお寺（てら）を訪ねました。
(I visited a temple in Kyoto.)
友人（ゆうじん）を訪ねる。
(To visit a friend.)

📊 Comparison Table

Word	Type	Target (Who?)
伺う (Ukagau)	Humble (Keigo)	Client, Boss, Teacher (Superior)
訪ねる (Tazuneru)	Standard	Friends, Family, Places (Equal)

🚧 Joy’s Mistake

(Talking to a close friend)

❌ Wrong: 明日、あなたの家に 伺います！
(Too formal! It sounds like you are coming for a business meeting or you are not close friends.)

✅ Right: 明日、あなたの家に 遊びに行くね / 行くね。
(With friends, “Iku” (to go) or “Asobi ni iku” (go to play/hang out) is most natural. “Tazuneru” is a bit bookish for speech.)