语法 · HSK 1–2
看 (kàn) vs 看见 (kànjiàn): "look" vs "see" in Chinese
看 is the intentional action of looking, watching or reading: 看书 "read a book", 看电视 "watch TV", 你看！ "Look!". 看见 adds the result complement 见 to show that the image actually reached your eyes ("catch sight of / see"): 我看见他了 "I saw him", 我没看见你的钥匙 "I didn't see your keys". The same rule separates 听 (listen) from 听见 (hear) and 找 (look for) from 找到 (find).
句型Patterns
看 + 书 / 电影 / 电视 / 医生Deliberate action: read, watch, visit.看见 / 看到 + Person / ThingResult of seeing: 我在超市看见王老师了.没看见 / 看不见Didn't see / cannot see: 太远了，我看不见.听 (listen) vs 听见 (hear)我在听音乐 vs 你听见声音了吗？
例句Examples
- 我每天晚上看半个小时的中文书。wǒ měi tiān wǎn shàng kàn bàn gè xiǎo shí de zhōng wén shū.I read a Chinese book for half an hour every evening.
- 你看见我的眼镜了吗？我找不到了。nǐ kàn jiàn wǒ de yǎn jìng le ma? wǒ zhǎo bú dào le.Have you seen my glasses? I can't find them.
- 我刚才叫你，你没听见吗？wǒ gāng cái jiào nǐ, nǐ méi tīng jiàn ma?I just called you—didn't you hear me?
- 坐得太远了，我看不见黑板上的字。zuò de tài yuǎn le, wǒ kàn bú jiàn hēi bǎn shàng de zì.I'm sitting too far away; I can't see the characters on the board.
常见错误Common mistakes
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✗我昨天在街上看他了。
✓我昨天在街上看见他了。
To say you spotted or saw someone in passing, use 看见 or 看到.
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✗我喜欢看见电影。
✓我喜欢看电影。
"Watch a movie" is a deliberate activity (看电影), not 看见.
重点词语Words in this guide
Common questions
Is there any difference between 看见 and 看到?
In everyday speech they are interchangeable for "see / spot" (我看见/看到他了). 看到 can also take abstract objects like 看到希望 ("see hope").