to visit; to interview; to access
HSK level
访问 (fǎngwèn) is a Chinese verb meaning 'to visit' in a formal or official sense, 'to interview,' or in computing 'to access.'
It describes official or purposeful visits — a leader visiting another country (访问美国), a reporter interviewing someone (访问一位专家), or a program accessing data or a website (访问网站). It leans formal; for dropping by a friend's house casually, Chinese prefers 去看 or 去……家, not 访问.
Two notes for English speakers: 访问 is transitive and takes the visited person, place, or resource directly (访问客户 visit a client) with no preposition; and its 'interview' sense overlaps with 采访 (cǎifǎng), though 采访 is the standard journalism term. In tech contexts, 访问 is the exact word for 'access' — 访问权限 means 'access permission.'
Note: 访问 leans formal or official. For casually visiting a friend, use 看 or 去……家; save 访问 for official visits, interviews, and computing.
Character by character
Memory hook: 访 (visit) + 问 (ask) — you go to visit and to ask questions: an official visit or interview.
你可以访问这个网站了解更多信息。
Nǐ kěyǐ fǎngwèn zhège wǎngzhàn liǎojiě gèng duō xìnxī.
You can visit this website to learn more.
neutral
记者访问了几位当地居民。
Jìzhě fǎngwèn le jǐ wèi dāngdì jūmín.
The reporter interviewed several local residents.
neutral
总统这次访问了三个国家。
Zǒngtǒng zhè cì fǎngwèn le sān ge guójiā.
The president visited three countries this time.
written
没有权限就不能访问这些文件。
Méiyǒu quánxiàn jiù bù néng fǎngwèn zhèxiē wénjiàn.
Without permission you can't access these files.
neutral
访问 is written with 12 strokes (访: 6, 问: 6). Tap replay to watch each character drawn again.
采访 is the journalism word — to interview or cover a story (记者采访). 访问 can mean interview too but is broader and more formal, also covering official visits and data access. For reporters, use 采访.
拜访 is a polite 'to call on / pay a respectful visit' to a person (拜访老师). 访问 is more official or institutional. Use 拜访 when showing courtesy to an individual.
Acquire it by listening
Fluentide turns real news into Chinese listening at your exact level, so words like 访问 show up again and again in natural sentences — with pinyin and translation every time. No flashcards. Free to start.