To Admonish
To Reason With, To Talk Sense Into
transitive verb, godan verb
This word consists of kanji with hiragana attached. Because the hiragana ends with an う sound, you know this word is a verb. The kanji itself means admonish, so the verb version is to admonish.
諭す is used when a person (often in a position of authority) says something in an effort to reason with or to talk sense into someone younger or lower in rank. There's a sense of disapproval, but they're not scolding — they're gently trying to get them to understand the error of their ways. Think of a parent patiently lecturing a child or a teacher calmly admonishing a student, and you'll get the gist.
Since this word consists of a kanji with hiragana attached, you can bet that it will use the kun'yomi reading. You didn't learn that reading with this kanji, so here's a mnemonic to help you:
Your mom started to admonish you so you instantly sat (さと) down. Maybe if she sees you sat down right in front of her, looking guilty and feeling remorseful, she won't yell as hard.
子供を諭す
to reason with a child, to make a child understand
…の大切さを諭す
to get across the importance of …
道理を諭す
to help someone see reason
先生は生徒を優しく諭した。
The teacher gently admonished the student.
彼女は子供を諭すのが上手だ。
She's good at reasoning with children.
上司は部下の失敗を責めるより、諭すべきだ。
Rather than criticizing subordinates for their failures, a boss should help them understand their mistakes.
彼はため息をついて、笑いをこらえながら諭すように話した。
He sighed, trying not to laugh, and spoke in a gently lecturing way.
うちの父は俺のことを叱るけど、本当は諭すのが正解だと思う。
My father scolds me, but really I think the right thing for him to do would be to reason with me.