看
to look; to watch; to read
HSK level
- Pinyin
- kàn
- Part of speech
- verb
- Level
- HSK 1
- Strokes
- 9
- Register
- neutral
- In episodes
- 2
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.
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.
Hear 看 in real episodes
看 appears in 2 Fluentide podcast episodes at natural native speed. Each sentence plays at the easiest difficulty it exists in — switch it to hear the same moment at your level, with full pinyin and English throughout.
关上以后，你看手机，看一个小屏幕。
After closing it, you look at the phone and see a small screen.
iPhone Duo Starts at $1,999; On Sale Oct 23
公司要看这些问题。
The company has to answer these questions.
Klarna Rehires Humans After AI Replaces 700 Agents
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
Synonyms
Don't confuse 看 with
FAQ
Related words from the same episodes
Acquire it by listening
Meet 看 again — in real Chinese, at your level.
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