Japanese symbol for “lookup”
探索
たんさく
Romaji: tansaku
search; lookup; hunt; (item of) research
In Japanese, lookup is 探索, read たんさく (tansaku).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n, vs, vt search; lookup; hunt; (item of) research; exploration; investigation
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “lookup”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 正引き | せいびき seibiki | lookup (e.g. in a dictionary, address list, etc.) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 探す | さがす sagasu | to search for; to look for; to hunt for |
| 探検 | たんけん tanken | exploration; expedition |
| 探偵 | たんてい tantei | detective; investigator; sleuth |
| 探知 | たんち tanchi | detection |
| 探査 | たんさ tansa | probe; inquiry; enquiry |
| 捜索 | そうさく sousaku | search (esp. for someone or something missing); manhunt |
| 検索 | けんさく kensaku | looking up (e.g. a word in a dictionary); search (e.g. on the Internet); retrieval (of information) |
| 模索 | もさく mosaku | groping (for); fumbling around (for); searching (for an answer, solution, etc.) |
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.