Skip to content
道Nihongo Path
索

索·rope, cord, search for

On-yomi
サク
Kun-yomi
none

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

Write it in this order; the numbers mark where each stroke starts.

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
検索けんさくsearch, looking up
索引さくいんindex (of a book)
探索たんさくsearch, exploration
模索もさくgroping (for a way forward)

Example sentences

  1. 店の名前を検索してみた。

    みせのなまえをけんさくしてみた。

    I searched for the shop's name.

  2. 巻末の索引を見てください。

    かんまつのさくいんをみてください。

    Please look at the index at the end of the book.

  3. 会社は新しい方法を模索している。

    かいしゃはあたらしいほうほうをもさくしている。

    The company is groping for a new approach.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

Common mistakes

  • 索 never stands alone as a word in modern Japanese
  • Reading 索引 as さくひき — it is さくいん

Memory aid

Picture it

糸 (thread) at the bottom: a rope you follow hand over hand through the dark — which is exactly what searching is.

Vocabulary using this kanji

Quick check

1 / 2Multiple choiceDifficulty 4 of 5

What does the kanji 索 mean?