さがす (探す・捜す): To Search (Two Kanji)

One sound, several kanji

さがす is a homophone trap. You say it the same way every time — sa-ga-su — but Japanese uses two kanji to write it, and they carve the meaning in half:

• 探す — you're after something you want or need. It still exists out there; you just haven't got it yet. A job, a nice restaurant, the answer to a question.
• 捜す — you're after something that was there and now is gone. Lost, dropped, missing, hidden. A wallet you dropped, a missing person, a criminal on the run.

A good way to feel it: 探す points forward (seeking something new and desired), while 捜す points backward (recovering something that slipped away). The right hand kanji 探 carries a sense of exploring / reaching out; 捜 has the hand radical 扌 and the idea of rummaging to recover.

One structural note before the meanings: さがす is a transitive Group 1 (う-)verb. The object takes を (財布をさがす), and it conjugates like 話す: ます-form さがします, te-form さがして, negative さがさない, past さがした.

The meanings, most common first

1. To search for / look for something you want (探す)

2. To look for a good shop or place (探す)

3. To hunt for a part-time job (探す)

4. To search for an answer / information (探す)

5. To search for something lost or dropped (捜す)

6. To search for a missing person (捜す)

7. To search for a criminal / culprit (捜す)

Notice the pattern: meanings 1–4 are all things you want and don't have yet (探す), while 5–7 are all things that went missing (捜す). Same sound, same verb, two kanji.

Common collocations worth memorizing

Learn these as chunks and the 探す / 捜す split will start to feel automatic:

Kanji & related verbs

• 探す writes the "seek something you want" meaning — jobs, shops, answers, new things. The kanji 探 also appears in 探検 (たんけん, exploration) and 探偵 (たんてい, detective) — both about reaching out into the unknown.
• 捜す writes the "find something lost / missing" meaning — dropped items, missing people, hidden culprits. The kanji 捜 appears in 捜査 (そうさ, criminal investigation) and 捜索 (そうさく, search-and-rescue) — both about recovering what's gone.

Useful real-world tip: 探す is by far the more common and the default. In casual writing, signs, and everyday text, people very often write 探す (or just kana さがす) even for lost things. 捜す is the more specialized, formal choice reserved specifically for lost or missing items and people — you'll see it most in news, police, and official contexts. When in doubt, 探す or plain かな is safe.

Don't confuse it with 探る (さぐる) — a different verb. 探る means to grope for / to probe / to feel around (探る is also Group 1: 探って, 探らない). 暗い部屋で電気のスイッチを探る = "to grope for the light switch in a dark room." Same 探 kanji, different verb and nuance: 探す = search for a target; 探る = feel around / investigate quietly.

探す vs 捜す

Both are read さがす and both are transitive う-verbs. The kanji choice is purely about what kind of thing you're after:

A neat way to feel it: ask "did I ever have it?" If no — you want it but never had it — use 探す. If yes — it was here and vanished — use 捜す. And remember: 探す is the everyday default, so if you forget which, 探す (or kana) rarely looks wrong.

Quick recap

• さがす = to search for / look for; transitive Group 1 (う-)verb: さがして, さがさない, さがした.
• 探す = seek something you want (job, shop, answer) — and it's the common default.
• 捜す = recover something lost or missing (wallet, person, culprit) — more formal/specialized.
• Quick test: never had it → 探す; had it and lost it → 捜す.
• 探る (さぐる) is a different verb — to grope / probe. Don't mix it up.

Your turn

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