HSK Guide

kàn, kānto look at, to watch, to read; to consider, to regard; to visit; to consult (a doctor); (kān) to look after, to keep watch over

kàn (fourth tone, falling) kān (first tone, high and level)

2 readings — the first is the most common.

to look at, to watch, to read; to consider, to regard; to visit; to consult (a doctor); (kān) to look after, to keep watch over

9 画部首 词频 #73

拼音

  • kàn (fourth tone, falling)most common
  • kān (first tone, high and level)

to look at, to watch, to read; to consider, to regard; to visit; to consult (a doctor); (kān) to look after, to keep watch over

Mnemonic

A hand 手 laid flat above an eye 目 — shading the brow to see into the distance, which is what anyone does looking out across open ground. The hand gives up its hook in this position but keeps its four strokes. The verb goes everywhere: 看书 to read, 看电视 to watch, 看朋友 to visit, 看医生 to see a doctor. In the first tone, kān, the looking becomes guarding: 看门, to keep a door.

A memory aid written by HSK Guide editors. It is not an etymology and does not describe the historical origin of the character.