Find characters with specific components

[valikor 50]

Hi folks,

What I'm looking for is this:

A dictionary where I could enter a component, like 卒, and have it tell me characters containing this component, such as 醉，碎，翠，etc.

I looked through all the dictionaries listed here as "the best", and yellowbridge seems to do it *if you pay*. (There's a link that says "See characters containing this as a component.." or something like that)

Anywhere I can do this for free? I seem to remember using a dictionary a few months ago which allowed this, but now I can't find it!

Thanks

David

[Daan 139]

Wenlin can do this as well, but I don't think it's available free of charge.

[Ole 5]

A dictionary where I could enter a component, like 卒, and have it tell me characters containing this component, such as 醉，碎，翠，etc.

You can try it here.

[valikor 50]

Thanks for your replies. It's probably not worth it to invest in Wenlin, but that last site posted by Ole looks pretty good. On some characters it seemed to work great:

I looked up 曼 and it showed me:

曼镘慢

熳鳗谩

缦蔓馒

幔墁漫

And I looked up 品 and it returned 酃品癌榀操缲臊躁噪燥澡藻

It seems to have some problems identifying characters based on a small component, though. For example I searched 母 and it only displayed 5 characters which contain this (I noticed 繁 wasn't there). I tried looking up 敏 and it again did not show 繁. I guess it is missing the connections between some characters, but still a nice site. I'm happy to find it!

[jbradfor 681]

A dictionary where I could enter a component, like 卒, and have it tell me characters containing this component, such as 醉，碎，翠，etc.

Or this site.

I use that one a lot. It does have a number of errors and omissions, basically being one person's work, but I find it very very useful none-the-less.

[PanShiBo 14]

This place can work for you, although the range is limited by HSK set.

[Lu 2,728]

It looks like zhongwen.com is the kind of thing you're looking for.

[gato 915]

Pleco for iOS can show you all characters that contains a certain character as a component, too. This function requires the Stroke Order Diagram add-on ($9.95). I think it probably works with the free version of Pleco, as well.

In Pleco, highlight the character you want, tap "字". In 字 view, tap on "Chars" and "Containing", and it will show you all characters that contains the character you highlighted as a component.

[fabiothebest 99]

Maybe someone knows about this already but it's new to me. There is an easy way to find characters based on their components simply by using a IME, but not all IMEs have this functionality, for example the Microsoft and Apple ones don't. It seems Google Pinyin IME does this (now only the mobile app is available and an old version of the desktop app could be found somewhere online but it isn't supported by Google anymore) and Sogou IME (That's the one I personally tested and it works).

Basically if you can spot some components in a new character and you don't know its pinyin, you can still find it without having to handwrite it or selecting its radicals in order. Simply type "u" followed by the pinyin of the components (order doesn't matter) and 1 or more characters containing those components will be displayed.

For example take the character 安  and imagine you don't know its pinyin. If you can recognize that it's made of 宀  (mian2) and 女 (nv3), you simply type:

umiannv and you get 安 and a few other characters containing those components.

 

 

[Rogerdunn 0]

I patented this search method. If you Google Roger Dunn chinese character search patent.

 

I didnt develop but open to those interested in developing. I had a database of 5000 characters broken up by its components and u could search them via sound stroke layout etc

 

Email me if u like [email protected] 

[889 1,209]

That's interesting, but could you tell us what advantages your method has over Pleco or Wenlin when searching for characters that use a particular component.

[Luxi 663]

[Out of topic post moved to another thread to avoid derailing this thread's discussion.]

 

[889 1,209]

But we're talking about component searches here, not compound words.

[Luxi 663]

Yes I know - but couldn't help getting carried away with this dictionary, sorry!

I'd probably use Yellowbridge, Zhongwen.com and Richard Sears' etymology site for components. Or search in Baidu and see what happens.

 

There's also this :

http://www.guoxuedashi.com/zidian/bujian/

[Gharial 129]

Old thread, and not sure if MDBG has always offered this, but it doesn't seem to have been mentioned:

https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?cdqchc=卒