查找
chá zhǎo · HSK 7
to look up
🔍 查 (check/inspect) + 找 (find) = check until you find it
查 means to examine or look into something, while 找 means to find or seek. Together they form a verb pair: you inspect and then locate. Like running a search query — first you scan, then you hit the result.
查 — wood 木 + sun-on-tree 旦-like 且
Originally a variant form related to 楂 (a type of raft or wooden float), combining 木 (tree/wood) with 且 as phonetic. Over time it shifted to mean 'to inspect' or 'investigate,' likely through the idea of examining wood or tallies. The reading chá for 'check' became dominant in modern usage.
找 — hand radical 扌 + dagger-axe 戈
Originally a phono-semantic compound: the hand radical 扌 suggests the action, while 戈 (a halberd) hints at the sound. The early sense related to handling or seeking with the hand, which broadened over time to mean 'to look for' and later 'to give change' in commercial use.