How do you pronounce 看?

看 is pronounced kàn — 看 (kàn).

Is 看 a noun, verb, or something else?

看 is a verb, register: neutral.

HSK 1

看

to look; to watch; to read

verbneutral10 episodes

看

kàn4th tone

HSK level

Pinyin: kàn
Part of speech: verb
Level: HSK 1
Strokes: 9
Register: neutral
In episodes: 10

Stroke order for 看

看 is written with 9 strokes. The animation replays automatically.

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.

Hear 看 in real episodes

看 appears in 10 Fluentide podcast episodes at natural native speed — each with the full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.

A 64-Year Marmot Study Lost Its Funding. So the Professor Put the Marmots on OnlyFans.看 spoken at natural speedbeginner Doctors Said He Would Not Reach 13. The Belgian Creator With Progeria Lived to 28.看 spoken at natural speedbeginner He Took Steroids, Drank 24 a Day and Never Trained Once. At His First Bodybuilding Contest, He Came Last.看 spoken at natural speedbeginner A 28-Year-Old Nigerian Giant Beat WWE's Feared 'Beast,' Brock Lesnar, in a Steel Cage看 spoken at natural speedeasy A 28-Year-Old Nigerian Giant Beat WWE's Feared 'Beast,' Brock Lesnar, in a Steel Cage看 spoken at natural speedbeginner The Devil Wears Prada Is Back 20 Years Later, and Now the Magazines Are Dying看 spoken at natural speedbeginner

Browse the full episode library

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

看书kàn shūto read a book

看电视kàn diànshìto watch TV

看电影kàn diànyǐngto watch a movie

看医生kàn yīshēngto see a doctor

看一看kàn yi kàntake a look

Synonyms

看见kànjiàn

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qiáo

瞧 is a colloquial, slightly older synonym for 'look,' common in northern speech: 你瞧 'look here.' 看 is universal and standard.

读dú

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tīng

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jiàn

见 alone means 'to see / meet,' often in fixed words: 再见 'goodbye,' 见面 'to meet.' 看 is the everyday action verb.

FAQ

Related words from the same episodes

爱to love 八eight 帮to help 比赛contest, competition 别人other people 病illness 吃to eat, to take 打to fight 电影film 电影院movie theater 动物animal 高tall, high

Acquire it by listening

Meet 看 again — in real Chinese, at your level.

You just saw 看 in 10 episodes. Fluentide keeps feeding you news episodes at your level, so this word — and thousands like it — resurface in real sentences until they stick. Full pinyin and translation every time. Free to start.