[in Japanese]

You can search for any text string(s) either in English or in Japanese. You may use English and Japanese keywords in a single search query (case-insensitive).

• Highlighting Search Terms
• Boolean Operators
• Combining Boolean Operators
• Looking Up a Word or a Phrase
• Wildcard Searches
• Looking Up Words Used as Boolean Operands

Highlighting Search Terms

If JavaScript and style sheets are enabled in your browser, then the words you searched for will be highlighted. (You can still use the search engine if you have either JavaScript or style sheets switched off, but the highlighting will not work.)

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Boolean Operators

When you input more than one word in the search box, the database will return results containing all of the words you enter (Boolean AND).

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Combining Boolean Operators

You may combine the Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) in a single query. AND and NOT are interpreted from the left but OR is interpreted later. Accordingly, cat OR dog AND rabbit means cat OR (dog AND rabbit). This query would return results containing either the word cat OR both the words dog AND rabbit. If you want to search for a result containing cat or dog and rabbit, use a query like (cat OR dog) AND rabbit.

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Looking Up a Word or a Phrase

To look up a word, simply type it in a search box and click on SEARCH. To indicate a phrase, enclose it within double quotation marks.

Example 1

cat

Searching on this word will return all results which contain the word cat.

Example 2

"cat food"

Searching on this phrase will return all results which contain the phrase cat food.

NOTE:

• When you enter words without enclosing them within quotation marks, they are interpreted as separate words. The database finds all articles that contain all the words.

Example 3

cat food

This query will return results which contain both the terms cat and food.

Example 4

ネコ cat

This query will return results which contain both the terms ネコ and cat.

Example 5

ネコ "cat food"

This query would return results which contain both the terms ネコ and cat food.

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Wildcard Searches

The full-text search engine supports wildcard characters in queries. This allows you to search for words when you don't know all the letters in them.

The wildcard symbol "*" means any character, any sequence of characters, or no character. The wildcard symbol "?" means any single character.

Example 1

pat*

This will return results that contain a word beginning with pat, such as pat, patent, and patch.

Example 2

*at*

A query like this returns thousands of results, that is, all results that contain a word that includes at. For example, at, atom, cat, catalog, patent, etc., all match the query.

Example 3

p*nt

This will return results containing a word beginning with p and ending with nt, such as patent, plant, and paint.

Example 4

"cat transl*"

This will return results that contain a phrase beginning with patent transl, such as patent translation, patent translating, and patent translators.

Example 5

pa?

A search for this will find words beginning with pa followed by any one letter, such as pat, pan, paw, etc.

Example 6

pa??

A search for this will find words beginning with pa followed by any two letters, such as path, pack, page, etc.

Example 7

pa?e

A search for this will find pale, pace, page, etc.

Example 8

?at

A search for this will find three-letter words ending with at, such as cat, eat, fat, etc.

NOTES:

• Two different wildcard symbols may be used in combination (Example 9).
• The wildcard symbols do not work for double-byte characters. Use them with single-byte character(s) only (Example 10).
• If you want to search for a single term with both alphabetical and numerical letters, always use wildcard symbols. Typing only the alphabetical or numerical letter(s) does not return a correct result (Examples 11 and 12).

Example 9

"ca* foo?"

A search for this will find cat food, cat's food, canned food, etc.

Example 10

特許*

A query like this returns only the exact match including the wildcard symbol(s), such as 特許* in this case. The symbols "*" and "?" do not work as a wildcard.

Example 11

OS2

A query like this returns only the exact match with OS2. Typing only the number 2 or only the OS does not return articles containing OS2. See Example 12.

Example 12

OS*

This returns articles with OS2, OS2/, etc.

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Looking Up Words Used as Boolean Operands

To look up the word "and", "or" or "not" or a parenthesis "(" or ")", enclose it within double quotation marks.

Example 1

"and" AND "or"

A query like this returns articles with both and and or somewhere.

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