看
to look; to watch; to read
kàn
What does 看 mean?
看 (kàn) is the all-purpose Chinese verb for using your eyes — to look, to watch, to read, and even to visit. Chinese doesn't split these meanings the way English does: you 看电视 'watch TV,' 看书 'read a book,' 看医生 'see a doctor,' and 看朋友 'visit a friend.' The verb is neutral in register and works in every context from casual chat to formal writing. Two notes: first, 看 alone often means a quick glance, while 看见 / 看到 means 'to see (successfully)' — the result of looking. Second, when 看 is reduplicated 看看 ('take a look'), it softens the verb into a casual, low-pressure request: 我看看 'let me take a peek.' For 'to read aloud / study,' use 读 or 念 instead.
Character breakdown
to look (a hand 手 over an eye 目 — shading the eye to see better)
Memory hook: The top of 看 is 手 (hand); the bottom is 目 (eye). A hand over the eye, shading it to look into the distance.
Example sentences
我喜欢看书。
Wǒ xǐhuan kàn shū.
I like reading.
neutral
你看，那是我妈妈。
Nǐ kàn, nà shì wǒ māma.
Look — that's my mom.
spoken
晚上我们一起看电影吧。
Wǎnshang wǒmen yìqǐ kàn diànyǐng ba.
Let's watch a movie together tonight.
spoken
他生病了，要去看医生。
Tā shēngbìng le, yào qù kàn yīshēng.
He's sick and has to see a doctor.
neutral
Common phrases with 看
Hear it in real Fluentide episodes
看 appears in 5 podcast episodes at natural native speed, with full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.
Synonyms
看见 emphasizes the result — actually seeing/perceiving. 看 is the action of looking, which may or may not succeed. 我看了 'I looked' vs 我看见了 'I saw it.'
瞧 is a colloquial, slightly older synonym for 'look,' common in northern speech: 你瞧 'look here.' 看 is universal and standard.
读 means 'to read (aloud) / to study (a subject).' For silent reading of books, 看书 is far more common than 读书 in everyday speech.
Don't confuse 看 with
听 is 'to listen / hear' (ears). 看 is 'to look / see' (eyes). Pair them: 听音乐 listen to music vs 看电视 watch TV.
见 alone means 'to see / meet,' often in fixed words: 再见 'goodbye,' 见面 'to meet.' 看 is the everyday action verb.