看

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

看 (Kangxi radical 109, 目+4, 9 strokes, cangjie input 竹手月山 (HQBU), four-corner 2060₄, composition ⿸龵目)

Derived characters

• 𠸦 𡺗 𪮑 𪮒 𣕻 𥈧 𦞖 𨩢 𪿁 𪿃 𣪦 𡙍 𡩒 𭾭 𬋭 𭿊 𭿋 𭿠 𭿡 𭿧

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 803, character 7
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 23196
• Dae Jaweon: page 1219, character 6
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 4, page 2474, character 3
• Unihan data for U+770B

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 看
Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : 手 (“hand”) + 目 (“eye”) – to put a hand above eyes to gaze afar.

Etymology 1

STEDT compares it to Proto-Tibeto-Burman *ka(n/ŋ) (“to know; to see”).

Also compare Tibetan མཁན་པོ (mkhan po, “professor; abbot”) (Schuessler, 2007).

Pronunciation 1

Definitions

看

1. (intransitive, transitive) to look; to see; to watch

   看電影／看电影  ―  kàn diànyǐng  ―  to watch a movie

2. (transitive) to read

   看報紙／看报纸  ―  kàn bàozhǐ  ―  to read the newspaper

   • 永叔謂為文有三多：看多、做多、商量多也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     永叔谓为文有三多：看多、做多、商量多也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: 11th century, 陳師道 (Chen Shidao), 《後山詩話》

     Yǒngshū wèi wèi wén yǒu sānduō: kàn duō, zuò duō, shāngliàng duō yě.

     Yongshu said that in writing, there are three things to do much of. These are reading much, writing much, and revising much.

3. ^† (transitive) to observe; to check

   出門蹉跌，看道後旅。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
   出门蹉跌，看道后旅。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

   From: Jiao Gong, Yilin, 1^st century BCE

   Chūmén cuōdiē, kàn dào hòu lǚ.

   (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   • 及看輪轂，升輿下軫。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     及看轮毂，升舆下轸。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: 2^nd century, Cai Yong, 《讓高陽侯印綬符策表》

     Jí kàn lún gǔ, shēng yú xià zhěn.

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

4. (transitive) to visit; to call on

   我們有時去看我們的祖母。 [MSC, trad.]
   我们有时去看我们的祖母。 [MSC, simp.]

   Wǒmen yǒushí qù kàn wǒmen de zǔmǔ.

   We sometimes visit our grandmother.

5. to think; to feel (that)

   我看你最好就出發。 [MSC, trad.]
   我看你最好就出发。 [MSC, simp.]

   Wǒ kàn nǐ zuìhǎo jiù chūfā.

   I think you'd better get going.

6. to consider; to regard as; to treat like

   他們把他看得一文不值。 [MSC, trad.]
   他们把他看得一文不值。 [MSC, simp.]

   Tāmen bǎ tā kàn de yī wén bù zhí.

   They treat him like dirt.

7. to depend on

   要看  ―  yào kàn  ―  it depends on...

8. to treat (a patient or sickness)
9. Used to indicate the potential mood.

Synonyms

• (to look): 盼 (pàn)

Compounds

Pronunciation 2

Definitions

看

1. to look after; to take care of; to tend; to keep an eye on

   他沒有看小孩的本事。 [MSC, trad.]
   他没有看小孩的本事。 [MSC, simp.]

   Tā méiyǒu kān xiǎohái de běnshì.

   He's not competent to look after young children.

Compounds

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

Definitions

看

1. (Teochew) Alternative form of 睇

Further reading

• “Entry #5324”, in 臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典 (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2023.

Japanese

Kanji

(grade 6 “Kyōiku” kanji)

1. watch over
2. see

Readings

• Go-on: かん (kan, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: かん (kan, Jōyō)
• Kun: みる (miru, 看る)

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 看 (MC khan|khanH).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Affix

看(かん) • (kan) 

1. to watch over; to watch attentively

Derived terms

Korean

Hanja

看 (eumhun 볼 간 (bol gan))

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

Vietnamese

Han character

看: Hán Nôm readings: khan, khán, khản

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

References

• Nom Foundation