搜
Character learning workspace

sōu · to seek, to search, to investigate

Master the form, understand its parts, and learn how it behaves in real Chinese.

HSK 3.0 · Level 5Frequency #3653
Watch · inspect · write

Learn every stroke in 搜

Replay the complete order, pause on difficult movements, inspect one stroke at a time, then write it yourself with live correction.

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Stroke graphics: Make Me a Hanzi / Arphic Public License
Step-by-step explorer

See how 搜 is constructed

Switch between the accumulated form and the isolated movement of each stroke.

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Character anatomy

Understand the reusable parts

The decomposition shows how the visual pieces fit together, not necessarily the character’s historical origin.

Writing notes

Shape and proportion

12Total strokes

Count each continuous pen movement once, including turns and hooks.

Left-rightCharacter structure

Keep the left side compact and leave enough room for the right side.

扌Key radical

Use the highlighted radical in the animation as a visual anchor for remembering the form.

Print and practise

Download a 搜 writing sheet

Get a ready-to-use A4 sheet immediately, or open the full builder to change its grid and guidance.

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Includes the stroke sequence, progressive tracing, and blank writing squares. Generated locally in your browser.

Vocabulary in context

Common words with 搜

Open a word for its full breakdown, or listen before reading the meaning.

sōuWords pronounced sōu
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Example sentences

Notice where 搜 sits in each complete thought.

Wǒ men fēn sàn kāi lái bìng zài shù lín zhōng zhǎn kāi sōu suǒ.我们分散开来并在树林中展开搜索。

We spread out and began to search through the woods.

Source: Tatoeba #1409364 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Wǒ bèi sōu chá le.我被搜查了。

I was searched.

Source: Tatoeba #13174490 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Nǐ men kě yǐ sōu suǒ hán yǒu mǒu gè cí de jùzi bìng dé dào zhè xiē jùzi de fān yì.你们可以搜索含有某个词的句子并得到这些句子的翻译。

You can search sentences containing a certain word and get translations for these sentences.

Source: Tatoeba #811373 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Nǐ men kě yǐ sōu suǒ cí bìng dé dào fān yì. dàn zhè zhēn bú shì yì běn xún cháng de zì diǎn.你们可以搜索词并得到翻译。但这真不是一本寻常的字典。

You can search words, and get translations. But it's not exactly a typical dictionary.

Source: Tatoeba #811371 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Yuán jiù rén yuán wèi le zhǎo dào háizi, zǐxì sōu suǒ le nàge qū yù.援救人员为了找到孩子,仔细搜索了那个区域。

The rescue worker searched the area, looking for the child.

Source: Tatoeba #333292 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Wǒ men yǒu quán sōu chá nǐ de gōng yù.我们有权搜查你的公寓。

We have a warrant to search your apartment.

Source: Tatoeba #5631908 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Turn reference into recall

How to study 搜 in context

  1. Say sōu, then recall the core meaning: to seek, to search, to investigate.
  2. Write all 12 strokes while keeping the left-right balanced.
  3. Use it in 搜索 (sōu suǒ), meaning “to search”.
  4. Read the complete sentence aloud once, then cover the translation and explain how 搜 works in that context.

Definitions and traditional forms are compiled from Make Me a Hanzi, HSK curriculum data, and CC-CEDICT. Sourced example sentences link to Tatoeba; editorial examples are labeled separately. Review data sources and licenses.