HanziGuru.蒐 · sōu
蒐
sōu[sou1]Tone 1

to search; to collect; to gather

HSK 5
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搜
Multiple Readings (多音字):
Guru Deep Dive

English · to search; to collect; to gather

Cached lesson
1 / 1
Topology:Left-right
Strokes:12
Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (hand) is slightly narrower and taller, leaving ample room for the right phonetic component to keep the overall character stable and square.
Simplification Logic: The traditional form 蒐 uses grass (艹) at the top and various components, while the simplified form 搜 replaces the top radical with the hand radical (扌) reflecting manual searching actions.
1. Meaning

to search or to collect information and materials

to hunt forto scour
VerbFormalBound morpheme#action#investigation
Sample Usage
  • 搜集
    sōují
    to gather, to collect
  • 搜索
    sōusuǒ
    to search, to scour, to look for
2. Sound
/[soʊ̯⁵⁵]/Tone: 55
蒐
sōusou1
++
¯(55)
=sōu
Initial Consonant
s
Type: Dental Fricative
Sounds like: English s sound
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Clear, steady sibilant hiss.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Tip of the tongue approaches the back of the upper front teeth without touching firmly, allowing air to hiss through.
Final Rhyme
ou
Vowel Group: -o vowel group
Sounds like: ou rhymes with oh
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'oh'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T1 (55)
1st Tone (High-Flat)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 stays flat and high at the top of your vocal range, like a sustained musical note.
👂
Listening trap: Confusing it with third tone (sǒu) or mistaking the initial 's-' for an 'sh-' sound.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Keep your hand flat and steady at a high level in front of your face, matching the level, flat pitch of Tone 1.
3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 12 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (hand) is slightly narrower and taller, leaving ample room for the right phonetic component to keep the overall character stable and square.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 蒐 uses grass (艹) at the top and various components, while the simplified form 搜 replaces the top radical with the hand radical (扌) reflecting manual searching actions.

4. Components

Radical 扌 · Hand Radical (actions done with the hand)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 扌 (indicates an action performed with the hand, such as searching or gathering)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 叟 (original sound: sou)

The hand radical (扌) reaches out to grab or search, while the elder or old man component (叟) provides the sound 'sōu' and hints at rummaging through old things.

  • 扌 hand / action
  • 叟 old man / phonetic clue
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally formed with grass or gathering elements in ancient scripts, later shifting to include the hand radical to emphasize the physical action of searching and collecting.

Semantic Evolution: Shifted from gathering wild plants or herbs in ancient times to the broader modern meanings of searching, collecting data, or conducting a search.

  • In classical texts, the traditional form 蒐 often related to seasonal military hunts or gathering herbs.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
sưu
High level tone in Mandarin corresponds to level or rising tones in Sino-Vietnamese borrowings.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: ソウ
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
수
Sound Shift Bridge: The initial s- and vowel -ou map consistently to Sino-Xenic readings in Japanese (sou) and Korean (su).
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

With your hand (扌), you carefully search through an old man's (叟) collection of antique treasures.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
嫂
sǎoelder brother's wifeUses the woman radical (女) instead of the hand radical (扌).
馊
sōuspoiled / sourUses the food radical (饣) to indicate spoiled food.
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
瘦(shòu)
瘦 has the sickness radical (疒) and means thin, whereas 搜 has the hand radical (扌) and means to search.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
警察正在[___]犯罪嫌疑人的行蹤。
Clue: sōu suǒ
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the hand radical (扌) on the left with the water or food radical when writing or recalling characters.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: What does the character 搜 mean when combined with 集 (to collect)?
Production: How do you write the character for 'to search' (sōu) using the hand radical?
Real-World Video Context

Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.

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蒐sōuto search; to collect; to gather
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