VocabularyJLPT N5 · core

探す

さがす

hepburn sagasu

to search, to look for

Part of speech · godan-verb

Pattern visualization

no decomposition available

Examples

鍵を探している。
I am looking for my keys.
仕事を探す。
I look for a job.

Collocations

探す (sagasu, search for)見つける (mitsukeru, find)見つかる (mitsukaru, be found)仕事を探す (shigoto wo sagasu, job hunt)人を探す (hito wo sagasu, search for person)

Mnemonic

Sagasu (探す) is the godan transitive for "look for / search / seek." Kanji 探 = 扌 (hand) plus 罙 (deep) = "reach deep and search." Homophone kanji 捜す splits: 探す for wanted things (shigoto wo sagasu, job hunt), 捜す for lost items or criminals (hannin wo sousasu = chase a culprit, maigo wo sousasu = look for a lost child). Conversation uses hiragana さがす for both. Cluster: mitsukeru (find, transitive) vs mitsukaru (be found, intransitive). The shuukatsu (就活, job-hunting) cultural cluster: shigoto wo sagasu plus rekuruuto suutsu (black recruiting suit), rirekisho (handwritten resume), mensetsu (interview). Korean chajda, Chinese zhao, English search diverge. JLPT N5 sagasu integrates with shuukatsu.

Quick check

Nuance split between 探す and 捜す?