Search Syntax & Linguistic Filters
HanziGuru features an intelligent Omni-Search engine designed for Mandarin learners. Search seamlessly across Chinese characters, Pinyin with tone numbers, English definitions, wildcards, and powerful linguistic filters like Phonetic Families (family:) and Structural Components (comp:).
1. Basic Omni-Search
You don’t need to select a mode before searching. Type naturally into the search bar, and HanziGuru will automatically recognize what you entered:
Enter syllables with numbers 1 to 4 for tones (or 5 for neutral tone).
ni3hao3Try ni3hao3 bai2Try bai2 Type romanized letters without tone marks. Works for single syllables or compound words.
baitianTry baitian qingTry qing 2. Targeted Field Prefixes (c:, p:, m:)
When a search term could match multiple fields (e.g., 'he' could be Pinyin hé or the English pronoun 'he'), use a prefix to explicitly restrict your search:
| Prefix | Field Targeted | Example | What It Matches | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
c: | Character Only | c:白 | Matches the character 白, ignoring the English word 'white' | Try c:白 |
p: | Pinyin Only | p:bai | Matches words pronounced bai (白, 百, 摆), ignoring definition matches | Try p:bai |
m: | Meaning / Gloss Only | m:day | Matches words whose definitions include 'day' (日, 天, 白天) | Try m:day |
3. Wildcards & Word Patterns (* and ?)
Use wildcard symbols to discover compound words, collocations, and rhyming patterns:
*天 — *天 — Ends With CharacterFinds all multi-character words that end with 天.
*天Try *天 天* — 天* — Starts With CharacterFinds all words that begin with the character 天.
天*Try 天* ?子 — ?子 — Single-Character PlaceholderThe ? symbol stands for exactly one Chinese character.
?子Try ?子 *心* — *心* — Contains AnywhereFinds words containing 心 anywhere in the word.
*心*Try *心* 4. HSK Level Filtering (hsk:1..6 or hsk:1..9)
Add hsk:<level> to any search to restrict results to the official Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK 3.0 / 2.0) curriculum:
- water hsk:1 ➔ Words meaning 'water' taught at HSK 1 (水, 喝水)
- *天 hsk:2 ➔ Words ending with 天 that appear in HSK 2 (晴天, 阴天)
- family:青 hsk:2 ➔ Only the HSK 2 members of the 青 family (清, 情, 晴, 睛, 青, 静)
5. Phonetic Family (family:<char> or fam:<char>)
Over 80% of all Chinese characters are phono-semantic compounds. Instead of memorizing thousands of isolated strokes, characters are built with two distinct parts:
- The Radical / Semantic Component (形旁): Provides a clue to the meaning (e.g., 氵 = water, 讠 = speech, 忄 = heart, 日 = sun).
- The Phonetic Core / Sound Root (声旁 / 音符): Provides the pronunciation or rhyming sound!
The family: filter unlocks this superpower. When you give it any character, it automatically discovers its entire phonetic family!
You don’t have to know the root! Searching family:情 or family:请 automatically traces back to the root 青 and displays the full family.
Instead of memorizing characters as random stroke tangles, you instantly understand why they sound the same and how their radical differentiates their meaning.
6. Component Search (comp:<char> or component:<char>)
While family: looks for sound relationships, comp: looks for physical visual anatomy (部件 / 偏旁):
comp:<char> matches any character that physically contains <char> anywhere inside its graphical decomposition, whether it serves as a semantic radical, a phonetic clue, or an ideographic part.
comp:木 — comp:木 — Contains Tree / WoodFinds any character physically containing the tree/wood radical 木.
comp:木Try comp:木 comp:心 — comp:心 — Contains HeartFinds characters built with the heart component.
comp:心Try comp:心 comp:日 — comp:日 — Contains SunFinds characters containing the sun/day glyph 日.
comp:日Try comp:日 comp:口 hsk:1 — comp:口 hsk:1 — Mouth at HSK 1Combines structural anatomy with syllabus levels.
comp:口 hsk:1Try comp:口 hsk:1 7. Deep Dive: family: vs comp:
Learners often wonder: 'What is the exact difference between family: and comp:?'
| Feature | family:<char> (Phonetic Family) | comp:<char> (Structural Component) |
|---|---|---|
| Linguistic Focus | Sound & Etymology (形声字家族) | Visual Anatomy (字形部件 / 偏旁) |
| What It Asks | 'What characters borrow their pronunciation from this root?' | 'What characters physically contain this shape as a building block?' |
| Pronunciation Link | Strong phonetic relationship: Members share similar or identical initials, finals, or rhymes (e.g. qīng ➔ qíng, qǐng, jīng). | No sound guarantee: Characters share the visual part, but their sounds can be completely unrelated (e.g. 休 sounds like xiū, not mù). |
| Bidirectional Lookup | Yes: Searching a child (family:清) automatically finds root 青 and reveals all 25+ siblings. | Direct: Searches for characters containing that specific glyph block. |
| Example with 青 | family:青: | comp:青: |
| When to Use | When you want to crack Chinese pronunciation and group dozens of words by their phonetic patterns. | When you are exploring radicals, visual building blocks, or looking up a character by a component you recognized. |
8. Complete Syntax Cheat Sheet
Bookmark this table for fast reference. Click any 'Try' button to run that search directly in the dictionary:
| Syntax Pattern | Type | Explanation | Expected Results | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
ni3hao3 | Pinyin | Numbered Pinyin | Finds exact tones: 你好 (nǐ hǎo) | Try |
baitian | Pinyin | Toneless Pinyin | Finds daytime: 白天 (báitiān) | Try |
hello | Meaning | English / Localized Meaning | Finds words meaning 'hello': 你好, 喂 | Try |
c:白 | Prefix | Force Character Match | Only matches character 白, ignores English 'white' | Try |
p:bai | Prefix | Force Pinyin Match | Only matches Pinyin 'bai', ignores English words | Try |
m:water | Prefix | Force Meaning Match | Matches 水, 开水, 矿泉水, etc. | Try |
*天 | Wildcard | Ends with character | Finds 今天, 明天, 白天, 春天, 昨天 | Try |
天* | Wildcard | Starts with character | Finds 天气, 天天, 天空, 天然 | Try |
?子 | Wildcard | 2-character word ending in 子 | Finds 杯子, 椅子, 桌子, 孩子 | Try |
hsk:1 | Level | Filter by HSK 3.0 Level | Browse all official HSK Level 1 vocabulary | Try |
water hsk:1 | Combination | Keyword + HSK Filter | Finds words meaning 'water' in HSK 1: 水, 喝水 | Try |
family:青 | Phonetic Family | Phonetic Family (from root) | Finds 25+ characters sharing sound root 青: 清, 情, 晴, 请... | Try |
family:清 | Phonetic Family | Bidirectional Family (from child) | Automatically resolves root 青 and returns all family members | Try |
family:青 hsk:2 | Combination | Family filtered by HSK Level | Finds only HSK 2 members: 清, 情, 晴, 睛, 青, 静 | Try |
comp:木 | Components | Component / Structural Anatomy | Finds characters physically containing 木: 休, 林, 森, 本, 床... | Try |
comp:木 hsk:1 | Combination | Component filtered by HSK Level | Finds HSK 1 characters containing tree/wood 木 | Try |