Meaning of 看望
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to pay a visit to; to see (sb)
How to use 看望
看望 is used when you visit someone out of care or respect, such as a sick friend, elderly parents, or a teacher. It usually takes a person as the object, not a place. Example: 周末我去医院看望奶奶。(Zhōumò wǒ qù yīyuàn kànwàng nǎinai.) On the weekend I went to the hospital to visit my grandma.
看 (kàn) shows a hand 手 held over an eye 目, like shading your eyes to look, and 望 (wàng) means to gaze toward someone. Together, 看望 is going over to look in on a person you care about.
Common mistake: Learners often use 看望 with places, as in 看望北京, but it should be 参观 (cānguān) or 去 for places, since 看望 is for people. Also, both syllables are fourth tone, so say kànwàng, not kànwáng.
看望 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
看 kàn · to see · 9 strokes
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望 wàng · full moon · 11 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 看望.
| 看到 | kàndào | to see |
| 看见 | kànjiàn | to see; to catch sight of |
| 好看 | hǎokàn | good-looking; nice-looking; (of a movie, book, TV show etc) good |
| 看病 | kànbìng | to visit a doctor; to see a patient |
| 看法 | kànfǎ | way of looking at a thing; view |
| 难看 | nánkàn | ugly; unsightly |
| 希望 | xīwàng | to hope; a hope; a wish |
| 看起来 | kàn qǐlái | seemingly; apparently; looks as if; appears to be; gives the impression that; seems on the |
| 看上去 | kàn shàngqù | it would appear; it seems (that) |
| 愿望 | yuànwàng | desire; wish |
| 观看 | guānkàn | to watch; to view |
| 收看 | shōukàn | to watch (a TV program) |
Questions about 看望
What does 看望 mean?
看望 (kànwàng) means "to pay a visit to; to see (sb)" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 看望?
看望 is made of 2 characters: 看 (9 strokes), 望 (11 strokes). That is 20 strokes in total.
Is 看望 an HSK word?
Yes. 看望 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 看望 and 拜访?
看望 is warm and personal, often used for family, friends, or someone who is ill. 拜访 (bàifǎng) is more formal and polite, used for calling on someone of status or for business visits.
Can I use 看望 to say I will see a friend for dinner?
Not usually. 看望 suggests a caring visit, often to someone who is older, sick, or far away. For casual meetups, say 见朋友 (jiàn péngyou) or 跟朋友见面 (gēn péngyou jiànmiàn).