TraceHanzi

观 meaning and stroke order

guān

To observe, to spectate; appearance, view

HSK 26 strokesRadical 见Traditional 觀
Strokes6
Pinyinguān
ToneTone 1
Frequency#772
Printable worksheetPractice all HSK 2 characters

How to write 观, stroke by stroke

6 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. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6

Meaning of 观

Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.

guānfirst tone (high and level)
  1. to look at
  2. to watch
  3. to observe
  4. to behold
  5. to advise
  6. concept
guànfourth tone (falling)
  1. Taoist monastery
  2. palace gate watchtower
  3. platform

How 观 is built

Ideographic (compound meaning) character. To see 见 again 又.

yòuagain+jiànto see

Radical: 见 (to see), shared by 14 characters on this site.

How to remember 观

观 is made of 又 (again) and 见 (to see). To see something again and again means you are really observing it closely.

观 rarely stands alone in modern speech. It appears in many common words like 参观 (cānguān, to visit), 观众 (guānzhòng, audience) and 观点 (guāndiǎn, viewpoint). Example: 我们明天去参观博物馆。(Wǒmen míngtiān qù cānguān bówùguǎn.) We are visiting the museum tomorrow.

Common mistake: Learners often write 现 (xiàn, appear) or 规 (guī, rule) instead of 观, because all three contain 见. Remember that 观 has 又 on the left, while 现 has 王 and 规 has 夫.

Common words with 观

Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.

WordPinyinMeaningLevel
观点guāndiǎnpoint of view; viewpointHSK 2
参观cānguānto visit (a place, e.g. museum or factory); to tour; to look aroundHSK 2
观众guānzhòngspectators; audience; visitors (to an exhibition etc)HSK 3
观察guāncháto observe; to watch; to surveyHSK 3
观看guānkànto watch; to viewHSK 3
乐观lèguānoptimistic; hopefulHSK 3
观念guānniànnotion; thoughtHSK 3
客观kèguānobjective; impartialHSK 3
主观zhǔguānsubjectiveHSK 5
壮观zhuàngguānspectacular; magnificent sightHSK 6
观光guānguāngto tour; sightseeingHSK 6
外观wàiguānoutward appearanceHSK 6
观赏guānshǎngto look at sth with pleasure; to watch (sth marvelous); ornamentalHSK 7-9
袖手旁观xiùshǒu-pángguānto watch with folded arms (idiom); to look on without lifting a fingerHSK 7-9

观 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

这zhè完wán全quán是shì两liǎng个gè不bù同tóng的de观guān点diǎn。
Those two ideas are quite distinct.
她tā参cān观guān了le好hǎo几jǐ次cì这zhè个ge房fáng子zi。
She visited the house several times.
我wǒ在zài那nà一yí个gè观guān点diǎn上shàng同tóng意yì他tā。
I agree with him on that point.
我wǒ天tiān生shēng是shì一yí个gè乐lè观guān主zhǔ义yì者zhě。
I'm an optimist by nature.
卡kǎ罗luó上shàng个gè月yuè参cān观guān了le波bō士shì顿dùn。
Carol visited Boston last month.

Questions about 观

How many strokes are in 观?

观 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.

What does 观 mean?

观 (guān) means to observe, to spectate; appearance, view. A common word with it is 观点 (guāndiǎn), meaning "point of view; viewpoint".

How do you pronounce 观?

观 is pronounced guān, in the first tone (high and level).

What is the radical of 观?

The radical of 观 is 见, which carries the idea of "to see". Dictionaries list 观 under this radical.

What is the traditional form of 观?

The traditional form of 观 is 觀. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 观 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.

Is 观 on the HSK exam?

Yes. 观 is part of the HSK 2 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.

What is the difference between 观看 and 看?

看 (kàn) is the everyday word for look or watch. 观看 (guānkàn) is more formal and is used for watching performances, games or events, as in 观看比赛 (guānkàn bǐsài, watch a match).

When is 观 pronounced guàn?

It is read guàn when it means a Taoist temple, as in 道观 (dàoguàn). In almost all other words, including 观点 and 乐观, it is guān.

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