見 / 见
jiàn
The English verb 'see' can be translated into Chinese as 見 / 见 (jiàn). Wiktionary also lists 看見 / 看见 (kànjiàn).
Meaning: perceive with the eyes (verb)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 見 / 见 | jiàn |
| 看見 / 看见 | kànjiàn |
The verb is used to describe the act of perceiving something with the eyes.
What does it mean word for word?
The compound 看見 / 看见 is literally composed of 看 (to look) and 見 (to perceive/see).
Which one should you use?
While 見 / 见 (jiàn) means the result of perceiving with the eyes, 看 (kàn) refers to the action of looking or watching. The compound 看見 / 看见 (kànjiàn) is a common compound used to express the successful result of looking.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Dungan, the word is җян (jian).
How does it change in a sentence?
To indicate that the act of seeing has been completed in the past, you can add the aspect particle 了 (le) after the verb, as in 見到了 (jiàn dào le).
How do you pronounce it?
jiàn
Did you know?
- Dungan is a Sinitic language spoken in Central Asia that uses the Cyrillic alphabet to write the word җян.
- The character 見 / 见 is an ideogrammic compound that depicts a kneeling person with a large eye for a head. This ancient visual representation symbolizes the act of seeing or perceiving.
- In Chinese, 看 is used to describe reading a book or a newspaper, whereas English uses 'read'.
Examples in context
- 我看见你了。 (Wǒ kàn jiàn nǐ le.)I saw you.
- 你看见我的手机了吗？ (Nǐ kàn jiàn wǒ de shǒujī le ma?)Did you see my phone?
- 我终于见到你了。 (Wǒ zhōng yú jiàn dào nǐ le.)I finally see/meet you.
- 今天我看到一个很有趣的视频。 (Jīntiān wǒ kàn dào yí ge hěn yǒuqù de shìpín.)Today, I saw an interesting video.
- 你看到我的钥匙了吗？ (Nǐ kàn dào wǒ de yàoshi le ma?)Did you see my keys?
- 瞧！我买了一件新衣服。 (Qiáo! Wǒ mǎi le yí jiàn xīn yīfú.)Look! I bought a new dress.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “see” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 見, CC BY-SA 4.0.
