The kanji 捜 (そう) primarily means "to search," "to look for," or "to investigate." It implies a careful and thorough effort to find something or someone. The act often involves actively seeking information or a missing item.

・On-yomi (音読み): ソウ (sō) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): さが(す) (saga(su))

⚫︎犯人捜し Translation: Searching for the criminal ⚫︎事件を捜査する Translation: To investigate the incident ⚫︎部屋の中を捜す Translation: To search the room

The kanji 捜 is a 形声文字 (keisei moji), which means it's a character that combines a semantic component (a part suggesting meaning) and a phonetic component (a part suggesting pronunciation). The left side is the radical 手 (て - te), which means "hand." This suggests the action of searching or handling. The right side is 叟 (sō), which provides the sound element and also contributes the meaning of "old man" or "person." Combining these, 捜 suggests an active search conducted with the diligence and experience. The character evolved over time, starting from earlier forms that depicted a hand reaching out, visually emphasizing the act of seeking.