Chinese word

看

Pronunciation

Pinyinkàn

Meaning

  • verbwatch

Example

我在看电视。wǒ zài kàn diàn shì

I am watching television.

Illustration for 看 (watch)

More examples

她在窗前看书。tā zài chuāng qián kàn shū

She is reading a book by the window.

Core concept

Eyes stay on a person or thing until its appearance, words, or condition become clear.

Common phrases

  • 看电视kàn diàn shì

    watch television

  • 看书kàn shū

    read a book

  • 看报纸kàn bào zhǐ

    read the newspaper

Similar words

看见kàn jiàn: Seeing a person, thing, or event clearly and becoming aware of it.
见jiàn: Noticing the presence or occurrence of a person, thing, or event through sight.
看看kàn kàn: Looking briefly at something to check its state or contents.
看上去kàn shàng qù: Appearing to have a certain quality when judged from outward appearance.

Definition in Chinese

用眼睛注视或观察某人或某事，也可引申为阅读、照顾、探望或对事物或人的判断yòng yǎn jīng zhù shì huò guān chá mǒu rén huò mǒu shì yě kě yǐn shēn wèi yuè dú zhào gù tàn wàng huò duì shì wù huò rén de pàn duàn

Word origin

看 (kàn, "watch") is an old character showing 手 (shǒu, "hand") above 目 (mù, "eye"), like a hand helping the eye look carefully.

Usage tips

  • 看 (kàn, "watch") can stand before a person, place, book, or show, while English often changes the verb, so the context after it helps show the meaning.

Other meanings

  • readverb
  • look afterverb
  • visitverb
  • judgeverb

Related words

Word lists with this word