搜

• Pinyin: sōu
• Hanzi breakdown: 搜 = 扌(hand) + 叟 (old man, phonetic), to search with hands

Meaning

To search; to look for. To examine carefully to find something.

A verb meaning to search or look for something, often implying a thorough or systematic search. Used both for physical searches and digital searches. Forms compounds like 搜索 (search), 搜查 (search and investigate), and 搜集 (collect through searching).

Examples

1. 警察正在搜这一带，寻找失踪的孩子。 The police are searching this area, looking for the missing child.
2. 我搜遍了全身，也没找到手机。 I searched my entire body but couldn't find my phone.
3. 你在网上搜一下这个问题，看看有没有答案。 Search online for this question and see if there's an answer.

Usage Guide

Context: investigation, internet, everyday

Tone: active

Do Say

• 帮我搜一下这个词。(Help me search for this word.)
• 我搜了半天也没找到。(I searched for a long time but couldn't find it.)

Don't Say

• 搜了一本书 for casually looking for a book — 搜 implies thorough searching; for casual looking, use 找

Origin & History

Composed of 扌(hand radical) + 叟 (old man), suggesting using hands to search thoroughly.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal