找

找 (zhǎo) is the everyday verb for 'to look for' or 'to find' — the act of searching for someone or something. Three uses surprise English speakers. First, 找 covers BOTH the search and the result: 我找钥匙 ('I'm looking for my keys') and 我找到了 ('I found it') use the same root verb, with 到 added to mark success. Second, 找人 / 找你 means 'to look for a person,' which in context often means 'to come see you' or 'to want to meet with you' — 经理找你 = 'the manager wants to see you.' Third, 找 also means 'to give change' in money contexts: 找你五块 = 'here's five yuan in change.' Pronounced with a clean third tone (zhǎo), not to be confused with the second-tone 找's lookalike characters.

Note: Everyday verb, used in both speech and writing. The same verb covers the action of searching and the result of finding — context tells you which.

Memory hook: The 扌(hand) radical plus 戈 (a halberd) — your hand sweeping with a weapon, looking for something hidden.