看 (kàn) means "to look; to watch; to read" in English. It is an HSK 1 vocabulary word.

How many strokes does 看 have?

看 has 9 strokes. Follow the stroke order diagram above to write it correctly.

Which HSK level is 看 in?

看 is part of the HSK 1 word list, so it belongs to the beginner vocabulary band taught in the daily lessons.

HSK 1 word · verb

看

kàn

to look; to watch; to read

Stroke order

See how to write 看

Watch the animation, then write the character yourself — stroke order matters for speed and recognition.

看

9 strokes

Example sentence

我看书。

Wǒ kàn shū.

I read a book.

More sentences with 看

我看书。

Wǒ kàn shū.

I read a book.

我一边看书一边喝咖啡。

Wǒ yìbiān kàn shū yìbiān hē kāfēi.

I read while drinking coffee.

他正在看报纸。

Tā zhèngzài kàn bàozhǐ.

He is reading a newspaper.

她连这个问题也没看清楚。

Tā lián zhè ge wèntí yě méi kàn qīngchu.

She did not even read this question clearly.

做完作业以后再看电视。

Zuò wán zuòyè yǐhòu zài kàn diànshì.

Watch TV after finishing the homework.

Character breakdown

手

hand

目

eye

看

see; look

A hand (手) shades the eye (目) to look into the distance.

See every word built from the radical 看 →

Keep exploring

Learning Mandarin topic

Study 看 together with related learning mandarin vocabulary.

Story: Deceive the Heavens to Cross the Ocean

Read 看 inside a graded Chinese story.

Frequently asked questions about 看

What does 看 mean?: 看 (kàn) means "to look; to watch; to read" in English. It is an HSK 1 vocabulary word.
How many strokes does 看 have?: 看 has 9 strokes. Follow the stroke order diagram above to write it correctly.
Which HSK level is 看 in?: 看 is part of the HSK 1 word list, so it belongs to the beginner vocabulary band taught in the daily lessons.