sql syntax problem

Hello everybody, I am trying to create a sql query with php and I do have a syntax problem with the mysql query. One row is called "plz" and I would like to search for a value inside that with a like statement. Problem is, the system takes the u.plz as a character not as a table element: LIKE "%u.plz%" Has anybody an idea how the correct sytnax is? I am lost here. Thank you in advance, Merlin PS: This is the complete statement: SELECT c.name AS city FROM geo_de.geodb_locations AS c, fix.user AS u WHERE u.user_id =4 AND c.plz LIKE "%u.plz%";