看见
to see; to catch sight of
kànjiàn
What does 看见 mean?
看见 (kànjiàn) means 'to see' — specifically, to successfully perceive something with your eyes. It's a resultative compound: 看 (to look) + 见 (to perceive / sense), so the literal meaning is 'look and perceive.' The distinction English speakers must learn: 看 alone means 'to look at' (the action), while 看见 means 'to see' (the result). You can 看 (look) without 看见 (seeing) anything — for example, if it's too dark.
So 'I looked but didn't see it' is 我看了，可是没看见. Negation is irregular: don't say 不看见; the natural negation is 没看见 ('didn't see') for completed action, or 看不见 ('can't see' / 'unable to see')
Character breakdown
to look at; to watch; to read
to see; to perceive; to meet
Memory hook: 'Look + perceive' — you looked AND it registered. Both verbs together = successful seeing.
Example sentences
我看见他了。
Wǒ kànjiàn tā le.
I saw him.
spoken
你看见我的手机了吗？
Nǐ kànjiàn wǒ de shǒujī le ma?
Did you see my phone?
spoken
天太黑，我看不见。
Tiān tài hēi, wǒ kàn bu jiàn.
It's too dark, I can't see.
spoken
我没看见你来。
Wǒ méi kànjiàn nǐ lái.
I didn't see you come in.
neutral
Common phrases with 看见
Synonyms
看到 is nearly identical to 看见 — both mean 'to see / catch sight of.' 看到 is slightly more common in writing and emphasizes the moment of perception ('to arrive at seeing'). In speech, both are used interchangeably.
见 alone often means 'to meet' (见朋友 = meet a friend), not just 'see.' 看见 specifically describes visual perception of an object; 见 leans toward meeting people.
Don't confuse 看见 with
看 is the action 'to look at / watch'; 看见 is the result 'to actually see.' 我在看 = 'I'm looking'; 我看见了 = 'I saw it.' Beginners often use 看 when they need 看见, especially with negation: 'I didn't see it' is 我没看见, not 我没看.
Same pattern, different sense. 看见 = see (eyes), 听见 = hear (ears). Don't mix them: 听见 a noise, 看见 a person.
FAQ
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