看 meaning and stroke order
To see; to look at; to read; to watch
How to write 看, stroke by stroke
9 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
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- 8
- 9
Meaning of 看
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to see; to look at
- to read
- to watch
- to visit; to call on
- to consider; to regard as
- to look after
- to look after
- to take care of
- to watch
- to guard
How 看 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Shielding one's eyes 目 with a hand 手 to look to the distance.
Radical: 目 (eye), shared by 100 characters on this site.
How to remember 看
看 is a hand 手 placed over an eye 目, like shielding your eyes from the sun to look far away. The top part is a squashed form of 手, and the bottom is a clear 目 (mù, eye).
看 (kàn) covers many kinds of looking: watching TV, reading, visiting someone, seeing a doctor, and giving an opinion. 我在看书。(Wǒ zài kàn shū.) I am reading a book. Use 看见 (kànjiàn) or 看到 (kàndào) when you mean you actually saw something.
Common mistake: Learners often say 我看了他 when they mean "I saw him." 看 alone is the action of looking, so use 看见 (kànjiàn) or 看到 (kàndào) for the result of seeing. Also watch the top part: it is a bent hand shape, not 手 written in full, and it has a slanted top stroke.
Common words with 看
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 看到 | kàndào | to see | HSK 1 |
| 看见 | kànjiàn | to see; to catch sight of | HSK 1 |
| 好看 | hǎokàn | good-looking; nice-looking; (of a movie, book, TV show etc) good | HSK 1 |
| 看病 | kànbìng | to visit a doctor; to see a patient | HSK 1 |
| 看法 | kànfǎ | way of looking at a thing; view | HSK 2 |
| 难看 | nánkàn | ugly; unsightly | HSK 2 |
| 看起来 | kàn qǐlái | seemingly; apparently; looks as if; appears to be; gives the impression that; seems on the | HSK 3 |
| 看上去 | kàn shàngqù | it would appear; it seems (that) | HSK 3 |
| 观看 | guānkàn | to watch; to view | HSK 3 |
| 收看 | shōukàn | to watch (a TV program) | HSK 3 |
| 看来 | kànlái | apparently; it seems that | HSK 4 |
| 看不起 | kànbuqǐ | to look down upon; to despise | HSK 4 |
| 看望 | kànwàng | to pay a visit to; to see (sb) | HSK 4 |
| 看出 | kànchū | to make out; to see | HSK 5 |
看 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 看
How many strokes are in 看?
看 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 看 mean?
看 (kàn) means to see; to look at; to read; to watch. A common word with it is 看到 (kàndào), meaning "to see".
How do you pronounce 看?
看 is pronounced kàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 看?
The radical of 看 is 目, which carries the idea of "eye". Dictionaries list 看 under this radical.
Is 看 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 看 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
When is 看 pronounced kān instead of kàn?
It is read kān in the sense of guarding or looking after something, as in 看门 (kānmén, to guard the door) or 看孩子 (kān háizi, to look after children). Most everyday uses are kàn.
How do I use 看 to give an opinion?
Say 我看 (wǒ kàn) to mean "I think" or "in my view," for example 我看他不会来。(Wǒ kàn tā bú huì lái.) I don't think he will come. The noun 看法 (kànfǎ) means a view or opinion.