查 chá / zhā — to research; to check; to investigate; to examine; to refer to; to search
老师正在检查我们的作业。Lǎo shī zhèng zài jiǎn chá wǒ men de zuò yè.The teacher is checking our homework.
Common words: 检查 (jiǎn chá)、调查 (diào chá)、查看 (chá kàn)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to search"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to search", including 查 (chá / zhā), 索 (suǒ), 寻 (xún), 搜 (sōu), 抄 (chāo). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to search" covers 5 different Chinese characters — 查 (chá / zhā), 索 (suǒ), 寻 (xún), 搜 (sōu), 抄 (chāo) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 5 characters do not share a sound — their readings span chá, zhā, suǒ, xún, sōu, chāo — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 查 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 查 chá / zhāto research; to check; to investigate; to examine; to refer to; to searchUseful words: 检查, 调查
- 索 suǒto search; to demand; to ask; to exact; large rope; isolatedUseful words: 线索, 搜索
- 寻 xúnto search; to look for; to seekUseful words: 寻找, 寻求
- 搜 sōuto searchUseful words: 搜索, 搜集
- 抄 chāoto copy; to plagiarize; to search and seize; to go; to transcribe; to take a shortcutUseful words: 抄写, 抄袭
Common words for these 5 "to search" characters
Anchor each of these 5 characters in a word you can picture — start with 查 (chá / zhā) — so "to search" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
检查jiǎn cháinspection; to examine; to inspect调查diào cháinvestigation; inquiry; to investigate; to survey查看chá kànto look over; to examine; to check up; to ferret out线索xiàn suǒtrail; clues; thread (of a story)搜索sōu suǒto search (a place, a database, online etc); to search for (sth)探索tàn suǒto explore; to probe寻找xún zhǎoto seek; to look for寻求xún qiúto seek; to look for寻觅xún mìto look for搜索sōu suǒto search (a place, a database, online etc); to search for (sth)
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 5 ways to say "to search".
索 suǒ — to search; to demand; to ask; to exact; large rope; isolated
遇到难题，我们要积极思索。Yù dào nán tí, wǒ men yào jī jí sī suǒ.When facing a difficult problem, we should think actively.
Common words: 线索 (xiàn suǒ)、搜索 (sōu suǒ)、探索 (tàn suǒ)
寻 xún — to search; to look for; to seek
他到处寻找丢失的小狗。Tā dào chù xún zhǎo diū shī de xiǎo gǒu.He searched everywhere for his lost dog.
Common words: 寻找 (xún zhǎo)、寻求 (xún qiú)、寻觅 (xún mì)
搜 sōu — to search
他在房间里到处搜寻丢失的钥匙。Tā zài fáng jiān lǐ dào chù sōu xún diū shī de yào shi.He searched all over the room for the lost keys.
Common words: 搜索 (sōu suǒ)、搜集 (sōu jí)、搜查 (sōu chá)
抄 chāo — to copy; to plagiarize; to search and seize; to go; to transcribe; to take a shortcut
老师让我们把生词抄写三遍。Lǎo shī ràng wǒ men bǎ shēng cí chāo xiě sān biàn.The teacher asked us to copy the new words three times.
Common words: 抄写 (chāo xiě)、抄袭 (chāo xí)、抄道 (chāo dào)
All 5 characters
Open 查、索、寻 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.