觅 meaning and stroke order
To seek; to search
How to write 觅, stroke by stroke
8 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 觅
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (literary) to seek
- to find
- old variant of 覓|觅[mi4]
How 觅 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. To search for something with eyes 见 and hands 爫.
Radical: 爫 (claws), shared by 7 characters on this site.
How to remember 觅
A hand 爫 reaches down from above while the eyes 见 (jiàn, to see) look below. You use your hands and eyes together to seek something, which is 觅 (mì).
觅 is a literary word and rarely stands alone in casual speech, where people say 找 (zhǎo) instead. It mostly appears in set words like 寻觅 (xúnmì) and 觅食 (mìshí), and in written or poetic language. Example: 鸟儿在地上觅食。(Niǎor zài dì shang mìshí.) The birds are foraging on the ground.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 觅 with 觉 (jué/jiào), which also has 见 on the bottom but a different top. 觅 has the claw-like hand 爫 on top, while 觉 has three short strokes over a cover.
Common words with 觅
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
觅 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 觅
How many strokes are in 觅?
觅 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 觅 mean?
觅 (mì) means to seek; to search. A common word with it is 寻觅 (xúnmì), meaning "to look for".
How do you pronounce 觅?
觅 is pronounced mì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 觅?
The radical of 觅 is 爫, which carries the idea of "claws". Dictionaries list 觅 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 觅?
The traditional form of 觅 is 覓 and 覔. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 觅 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 觅 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 觅 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 觅 and 找?
Both mean to look for. 找 (zhǎo) is the everyday word for spoken Chinese, while 觅 sounds formal or literary. You would say 我在找钥匙 (wǒ zài zhǎo yàoshi), not use 觅 for keys.
Is 觅 used in any modern internet or business words?
Yes, 觅 shows up in written phrases like 寻觅 (xúnmì) in song lyrics and ads because it sounds elegant. It also appears in some brand and app names for the sense of searching or discovering.