看 (kàn) · to look

看 (kàn) means “to look”. It is made of 手 + 目 and has 9 strokes, and is an HSK 1 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).

Break 看 into its parts

What 看 is made of

• 手 shǒu — hand
• 目 mù — eye
  • 口 kǒu — mouth
    • 冂 — frame
    • 一 — horizontal stroke
  • 二 — two strokes
    • 一 — horizontal stroke
    • 一 — horizontal stroke

Origin hint: Shielding one's eyes 目 with a hand 手 to look to the distance (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

看 stroke order

Example sentences

Words with 看

• 好看hǎokàngood-looking
• 看病kànbìngto see a doctor
• 看到kàndàoto see
• 看见kànjiànto see
• 看法kànfǎview
• 难看nánkànugly
• 观看guānkànto watch
• 看起来kàn qǐlaito look like
• 看上去kàn shangquto look
• 收看shōukànto watch (TV)
• 看不起kànbuqǐto look down on
• 看来kànlaiit seems
• 看望kànwàngto visit (a person)
• 看待kàndàito regard
• 查看chákànto check

Also built with 手

• 拜bàito bow
• 拳quánfist
• 拿náto take
• 挚zhìsincere
• 掌zhǎngin charge
• 掰bāito break off (with fingers)
• 摩móto scour
• 擎qíngto lift
• 攀pānto climb

Quick facts

Questions about 看