hǎokàn: 好看 - Good-looking, Interesting, Nice to Watch

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• Summary: “好看” (hǎokàn) is a fundamental and versatile Chinese adjective that literally means “good to look at.” It's one of the most common ways to compliment something's visual appeal, used to describe people as “good-looking” or “attractive,” and objects or clothes as “nice.” Crucially, it's also used to describe media like movies, books, or TV shows as “interesting,” “engaging,” or “a good watch.” Learning “好看” is essential for any beginner wanting to give everyday compliments in Chinese.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): hǎo kàn
• Part of Speech: Adjective
• HSK Level: HSK 1
• Concise Definition: Good-looking or attractive; interesting or enjoyable to watch or read.
• In a Nutshell: Think of “好看” as a general-purpose compliment for your eyes. If something pleases you visually, it's “好看”. This applies equally to a person's face, a stylish outfit, or an exciting action movie. It's the simple, direct way of saying “I like what I'm seeing.”

• 好 (hǎo): This character means “good” or “well.” It's a combination of 女 (nǚ - woman) and 子 (zǐ - child). The image of a mother with her child is a powerful, universal symbol of goodness and happiness.
• 看 (kàn): This character means “to look,” “to see,” or “to watch.” It is composed of a hand (手) over an eye (目), vividly depicting the action of shading your eyes to see something more clearly.
• Combined Meaning: Together, 好 (good) + 看 (to look) literally means “good to look at.” This simple and intuitive combination perfectly captures the word's dual meaning of being both physically attractive and engaging to watch.

“好看” is the workhorse of Chinese compliments. While more poetic words like `美丽 (měilì)` exist, “好看” is what you'll hear most often in daily life. Its power lies in its versatility and neutrality. In Western culture, we often use different words for different types of appeal. We might say a person is “attractive,” a dress is “nice,” and a movie is “good” or “interesting.” Chinese culture streamlines this with “好看”. This reflects a practical approach to language, where the core concept—“pleasing to the eye/mind”—is captured in a single, widely understood term. Compared to `漂亮 (piàoliang)`, which is more focused on “prettiness” and used more for women, “好看” is more gender-neutral and can be used for men, women, and objects without a second thought. It's a safe, friendly, and universally positive compliment. Using it shows you have a grasp of genuine, everyday conversational Chinese.

“好看” is an incredibly common word used across various informal and neutral situations.

This is the most direct usage. You can use it to compliment someone's appearance, their new haircut, their clothes, or a product's design. It's a simple and appreciated compliment.

• Connotation: Positive and friendly.
• Formality: Informal to neutral.

This is a key meaning that learners often miss. When someone says a movie, TV show, or book is “好看”, they mean it's “interesting,” “engaging,” or “a good watch/read.” They are not commenting on the cinematography or the book cover's beauty, but on the content's ability to hold their attention.

• Connotation: Positive, a recommendation.
• Formality: Informal to neutral.

You can easily ask for an opinion by adding the question particle `吗 (ma)`.

• `这件衣服好看吗？` (Zhè jiàn yīfu hǎokàn ma?) - “Does this outfit look good?”
• `那个电影好看吗？` (Nàge diànyǐng hǎokàn ma?) - “Is that movie any good?”

• Example 1:
  • 你今天穿的裙子很好看！
  • Pinyin: Nǐ jīntiān chuān de qúnzi hěn hǎokàn!
  • English: The dress you're wearing today is very pretty!
  • Analysis: A classic, common compliment for an article of clothing. This is an everyday use of the word.
• Example 2:
  • 我觉得这部电影特别好看，推荐你去看。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ juéde zhè bù diànyǐng tèbié hǎokàn, tuījiàn nǐ qù kàn.
  • English: I think this movie is really good; I recommend you go see it.
  • Analysis: Here, “好看” means “good” in the sense of being entertaining or interesting, not visually beautiful. This is a crucial usage to understand.
• Example 3:
  • 很多人说他长得很好看。
  • Pinyin: Hěn duō rén shuō tā zhǎng de hěn hǎokàn.
  • English: A lot of people say he is very good-looking.
  • Analysis: This demonstrates “好看” being used to describe a person's appearance. The structure `长得 (zhǎng de)` is often used to describe physical looks.
• Example 4:
  • 这本书好看吗？我想买。
  • Pinyin: Zhè běn shū hǎokàn ma? Wǒ xiǎng mǎi.
  • English: Is this book good/interesting? I'm thinking of buying it.
  • Analysis: “好看” is used for books just like for movies, meaning “a good read.”
• Example 5:
  • 我新买的手机，好看吧？
  • Pinyin: Wǒ xīn mǎi de shǒujī, hǎokàn ba?
  • English: My new phone, it looks nice, right?
  • Analysis: Using the particle `吧 (ba)` turns the statement into a tag question, seeking agreement. It's a very common conversational pattern.
• Example 6:
  • A: 你觉得哪个颜色更好看？ B: 我觉得蓝色的更好看。
  • Pinyin: A: Nǐ juéde nǎge yánsè gèng hǎokàn? B: Wǒ juéde lánsè de gèng hǎokàn.
  • English: A: Which color do you think looks better? B: I think the blue one looks better.
  • Analysis: Demonstrates using `更 (gèng)` to make a comparison, meaning “more good-looking.”
• Example 7:
  • 昨晚的舞蹈表演真好看！
  • Pinyin: Zuówǎn de wǔdǎo biǎoyǎn zhēn hǎokàn!
  • English: Last night's dance performance was really great!
  • Analysis: Extends the meaning from media to live performances. “好看” means the performance was enjoyable to watch.
• Example 8:
  • 我个人觉得这本书不好看，有点无聊。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ gèrén juéde zhè běn shū bù hǎokàn, yǒudiǎn wúliáo.
  • English: I personally don't think this book is good; it's a bit boring.
  • Analysis: This shows the negative form `不好看 (bù hǎokàn)`. For media, it directly translates to “not interesting” or “boring.”
• Example 9:
  • 这里的风景太好看了！
  • Pinyin: Zhèlǐ de fēngjǐng tài hǎokàn le!
  • English: The scenery here is so beautiful!
  • Analysis: While `美丽 (měilì)` is also common for scenery, “好看” is a perfectly acceptable and frequent way to describe a beautiful landscape in a more casual way.
• Example 10:
  • A: 我剪了新发型，怎么样？ B: 好看！
  • Pinyin: A: Wǒ jiǎn le xīn fàxíng, zěnmeyàng? B: Hǎokàn!
  • English: A: I got a new haircut, what do you think? B: Looks great!
  • Analysis: Shows how “好看” can be used as a simple, one-word affirmative response.

• Mistake 1: Using it only for people.
  • A common mistake for beginners is to learn “好看” as “good-looking” and only use it for people. Remember, it's just as common, if not more so, to describe a movie, book, or show as “好看”.
  • Incorrect: `这部电影很美丽。(Zhè bù diànyǐng hěn měilì.)`
  • Correct: `这部电影很好看。(Zhè bù diànyǐng hěn hǎokàn.)`
• Mistake 2: Confusing `好看`, `漂亮`, and `美丽`.
  • While they can all be translated as “beautiful,” they have different flavors.
  • 好看 (hǎokàn): Broadest term. “Good-looking,” “nice,” “interesting.” Use for people (any gender), objects, and media.
  • 漂亮 (piàoliang): “Pretty.” Stronger focus on aesthetics. Mostly for women, pretty objects, or even neat handwriting. You wouldn't typically call a movie `漂亮`.
  • 美丽 (měilì): “Beautiful.” More profound and formal. Often used for scenery, art, or a person's inner/outer beauty in a more poetic or deep sense.
• Mistake 3: Thinking `不好看 (bù hǎokàn)` means “ugly.”
  • `不好看` literally means “not good-looking” or “not interesting.” It's a soft negation. The direct, and much stronger, word for “ugly” is `丑 (chǒu)` or `难看 (nánkàn)`.
  • Soft: `这件衣服不好看。` (Zhè jiàn yīfu bù hǎokàn.) - “This shirt isn't very nice.” (A gentle opinion)
  • Harsh: `这件衣服真丑！` (Zhè jiàn yīfu zhēn chǒu!) - “This shirt is really ugly!” (A strong, rude opinion)

• 漂亮 (piàoliang) - Pretty, beautiful. A close synonym, but more focused on aesthetic beauty and used less often for media.
• 美丽 (měilì) - Beautiful. More formal, poetic, and deep than `好看`. Often used for nature or art.
• 帅 (shuài) - Handsome. The specific adjective for describing men as attractive.
• 可爱 (kě'ài) - Cute, lovely. Describes a different kind of appeal, often for children, animals, or people with a sweet demeanor.
• 有意思 (yǒu yìsi) - Interesting. A direct synonym for the “media” sense of `好看`. You can say a movie is `很好看` or `很有意思`.
• 精彩 (jīngcǎi) - Brilliant, wonderful, splendid. A stronger compliment than `好看` for a performance, speech, or sports match.
• 难看 (nánkàn) - Ugly, unsightly. A direct antonym of `好看`, literally “difficult to look at.”
• 丑 (chǒu) - Ugly. The most common and direct antonym for unattractive physical appearance.
• 无聊 (wúliáo) - Boring, bored. The direct antonym for the “media” sense of `好看`.