询问
xúnwèn · HSK 5
to inquire
❓ 询 = 讠(speech) + 旬 (xún); 问 = ask. Speech-ask + ask = inquire.
询问 stacks two ask-verbs: 询 (formal inquiry, with the 讠 speech radical) plus 问 (ordinary ask). Doubling makes it sound polite and official, like English inquire vs. ask.
问 — gate 门 (phonetic) + mouth 口 (semantic)
问 is a phono-semantic compound. The 口 (mouth) on the inside gives the meaning—using the mouth to ask—while 门 (gate/door) supplies the sound, close to 'mén/wèn'. The traditional form 問 places 口 inside 門, vividly suggesting speaking through a doorway to inquire.