cord, rope, searching, inquiring

About this kanji

The kanji 索, pronounced as 'saku,' primarily means 'cord' or 'rope,' but it also relates to the idea of searching or inquiring. It's often used in compound words rather than on its own. For example, 捜索 (そうさく) means 'search,' especially for something or someone that is missing, while 検索 (けんさく) refers to looking up information, such as a word in a dictionary. Another common compound is 索引 (さくいん), which means 'index' in a book. A helpful note is that this kanji emphasizes the act of connecting or gathering information, much like a cord that links things together.

Example sentences

• 道を索めることが重要だ。

  It is important to search for the path.

Meanings across languages

English

cord, rope, searching, inquiring

Tiếng Việt

dây, dây thừng, tìm kiếm, hỏi

日本語

索, ひも, ロープ, 探索, 問い合わせ

한국어

끈, 로프, 탐색, 문의

中文

索, 绳子, 搜索, 查询

id

tali

th

เชือก

es

cordón

fr

corde

de

Schnur

pt

cordão

Common compounds

• 捜索そうさくsearch (esp. for someone or something missing), manhunt, legally authorized search of a person, building, etc.
• 検索けんさくlooking up (e.g. a word in a dictionary), search (e.g. on the Internet), retrieval (of information)
• 索引さくいんindex (in a book)
• 模索もさくgroping (for), fumbling around (for), searching (for an answer, solution, etc.)
• 思索しさくspeculation, thinking, meditation
• 探索たんさくsearch, lookup, hunt
• 検索条件けんさくじょうけんsearch criteria
• 捜索隊そうさくたいsearch party