见 meaning and stroke order
To see; to meet; to appear (to be sth)
How to write 见, stroke by stroke
4 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
Meaning of 见
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to see
- to meet
- to appear (to be sth)
- to interview
- opinion
- view
- to appear
- also written 現|现[xian4]
How 见 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Simplified form of 見; a man 儿 with the eye 目 emphasized.
How to remember 见
The traditional form 見 shows a person 儿 with a big eye 目 on top, so the whole character is a walking eye that sees. In simplified 见, the eye has shrunk into the frame 冂, but the legs 儿 are still there carrying it around to look at things.
见 (jiàn) often works as a result after a verb, showing you actually perceived something, as in 看见 (kànjiàn, to see) and 听见 (tīngjiàn, to hear). It also means to meet someone, as in 见面 (jiànmiàn). Example: 明天见。(Míngtiān jiàn.) See you tomorrow.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 见 with 贝 (bèi, shell), which looks similar but whose last stroke is a short dot instead of the long hooked stroke that ends 见. Also, 见面 already contains the idea of meeting, so say 跟他见面 (gēn tā jiànmiàn), not 见面他.
Common words with 见
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 再见 | zàijiàn | goodbye; see you again later | HSK 1 |
| 看见 | kànjiàn | to see; to catch sight of | HSK 1 |
| 听见 | tīngjiàn | to hear | HSK 1 |
| 见面 | jiànmiàn | to meet; to see each other | HSK 1 |
| 见到 | jiàndào | to see | HSK 2 |
| 意见 | yìjiàn | idea; opinion | HSK 2 |
| 见过 | jiànguo | HSK 2 | |
| 常见 | cháng jiàn | commonly seen; common | HSK 2 |
| 碰见 | pèngjiàn | to run into; to meet (unexpectedly) | HSK 2 |
| 遇见 | yùjiàn | to meet | HSK 4 |
| 梦见 | mèngjiàn | to dream about (sth or sb); to see in a dream | HSK 4 |
| 可见 | kějiàn | it can clearly be seen (that this is the case); it is (thus) clear | HSK 4 |
| 只见 | zhǐ jiàn | to see (the same thing) over and over again; to see, to one's surprise, (sth happen sudden | HSK 5 |
| 不见 | bùjiàn | not to see; not to meet | HSK 6 |
见 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 见
Learning 见 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 见
How many strokes are in 见?
见 is written with 4 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 见 mean?
见 (jiàn) means to see; to meet; to appear (to be sth). A common word with it is 再见 (zàijiàn), meaning "goodbye; see you again later".
How do you pronounce 见?
见 is pronounced jiàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the traditional form of 见?
The traditional form of 见 is 見. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 见 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 见 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 见 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.
What is the difference between 看 and 看见?
看 (kàn) is the action of looking, which may or may not succeed. 看见 (kànjiàn) means you actually saw it. For example, 我看了，可是没看见 (wǒ kàn le, kěshì méi kànjiàn) means I looked, but did not see it.
Why is 见 sometimes read xiàn?
In older texts, 见 could be read xiàn with the meaning to appear, a sense now written 现 (xiàn). In modern everyday Chinese you will almost always read it jiàn.