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Kanji for Search
The kanji most commonly used for "Search" are 探、捜、索.
探
Kanji that mean Search
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探
to search, to probe
Also associated with to explore.
Onyomi: tan Kunyomi: saga.su, sagu.ru 11 strokes Jōyō
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捜
to search, to investigate
Also associated with to explore.
Onyomi: shu, shuu, soh Kunyomi: saga.su 10 strokes Jōyō
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索
rope, search
Also associated with demand.
Onyomi: saku 10 strokes Jōyō
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搜
search, investigate
Also associated with explore.
Onyomi: shu, shuu, soh Kunyomi: saga.su 12 strokes Jinmeiyō
探 and 捜 are both read sagasu and both mean to look for something, but Japanese splits them by what is missing. 探す is used for what you want to find — a job, an apartment, a good restaurant. 捜す is used for what has been lost or has gone missing — a dropped wallet, a missing person. It follows that 捜 is the character of police work: 捜査 (investigation) and 捜索 (a search operation).
探 is the wider of the two and reaches into inquiry and exploration: 探検 (exploration), 探偵 (detective), 探究 (the pursuit of knowledge).
索 is different again. Its base meaning is rope or cord, and its searching sense is the methodical kind — 検索 (looking something up), 索引 (an index). 搜 is simply the older form of 捜 and is not used in ordinary modern writing.
Words using Search kanji
Everyday Japanese vocabulary built from the characters above.
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探検
たんけん
exploration; expedition
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捜査
そうさ
search (esp. in criminal investigations); investigation; inquiry
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捜索
そうさく
search (esp. for someone or something missing); manhunt; legally authorized search of a person, building, etc.
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探査
たんさ
probe; inquiry; enquiry
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特捜
とくそう
special investigation
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検索
けんさく
looking up (e.g. a word in a dictionary); search (e.g. on the Internet); retrieval (of information)
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探す
さがす
to search for; to look for; to hunt for
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索引
さくいん
index (in a book)
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探偵
たんてい
detective; investigator; sleuth
Before you use Search kanji
探 is the natural single character if you mean seeking or exploring. 捜 reads as searching for something lost, and its everyday company is police work — 捜査, an investigation — so it carries that flavor. 索 alone will read as rope, or as looking a word up in an index.