搜

蒐

sōu

叟 + 扌

HSK 3.0Level 5

Definitions

sōu (verb) to search; to seek

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 扌 represents the meaning and 叟 represents the sound. Originally written as 叟.

Semantic: 扌 Phonetic: 叟

About

搜 is a phono-semantic compound: the left radical 扌 (hand) marks it as a manual action, while 叟 on the right provides the sound. Originally written as 叟, the character later gained the hand radical to specify the act of searching with the hands. It describes physical searching, rummaging or carefully looking for hidden objects or people, covering everything from a simple personal search for a lost item to organized inspections by authorities seeking concealed goods or evidence. Beyond the physical, 搜 also applies to gathering information, data, or ideas, extending naturally into intellectual or digital investigation.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我在搜索信息。

Wǒ zài sōusuǒ xìnxī.

I am searching for information.

他喜欢搜集邮票。

Tā xǐhuan sōují yóupiào.

He likes collecting stamps.

警察搜查了车辆。

Jǐngchá sōuchá le chēliàng.

The police searched the vehicle.

救援队正在搜救幸存者。

Jiùyuán duì zhèngzài sōujiù xìngcún zhě.

The rescue team is searching for survivors.

他们搜捕了逃犯。

Tāmen sōubǔ le táofàn.

They hunted down and arrested the fugitive.

我经常在网上搜索资料。

Wǒ jīngcháng zài wǎngshàng sōusuǒ zīliào.

I often search for materials online.

为了写论文，他搜集了大量文献。

Wèile xiě lùnwén, tā sōují le dàliàng wénxiàn.

To write the paper, he collected a large amount of literature.

在接到报警后，警方迅速展开了搜查行动。

Zài jiēdào bàojǐng hòu, jǐngfāng xùnsù zhǎnkāi le sōuchá xíngdòng.

After receiving the alarm, the police quickly launched a search operation.

Related Characters

Component: 叟

Component: 扌

搜