kànjiàn: 看见 - To See, To Catch Sight Of

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• Summary: Learn the essential Chinese verb 看见 (kànjiàn), which means “to see” or “to catch sight of.” This page breaks down the difference between just “looking” (看, kàn) and successfully “seeing” (看见, kànjiàn), a crucial concept for beginners. Discover how to use it in everyday conversation, understand its grammatical structure, and avoid common mistakes with our practical examples and clear explanations.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): kànjiàn
• Part of Speech: Verb (Resultative Verb Compound)
• HSK Level: HSK 1
• Concise Definition: To perceive with the eyes; to see or catch sight of something.
• In a Nutshell: 看见 (kànjiàn) is a compound verb that combines the action of “looking” with the result of “seeing.” Think of it this way: 看 (kàn) is the action you perform with your eyes, like looking around a room. 看见 (kànjiàn) is the successful result of that action—the moment you actually perceive something. If you look for your keys, you are doing the action of “看.” When your eyes finally land on them, you can exclaim, “我看见了!” (Wǒ kànjiàn le!) - “I see them!”

• 看 (kàn): This character is a picture of a hand (手, shǒu) placed over an eye (目, mù). This vividly depicts the action of shielding one's eyes to look intently at something in the distance. It represents the physical act of “looking,” “watching,” or “reading.”
• 见 (jiàn): This character shows a person (originally 人, rén) with a large, emphasized eye. It signifies the result of perception—the passive, successful act of “seeing” or “perceiving.”

When combined, 看见 (kànjiàn) literally means “look-perceive.” The action of looking (看) produces the result of seeing (见). This structure is fundamental in Chinese grammar.

The structure of 看见 (kànjiàn) reveals a key aspect of the Chinese language: a focus on the result or outcome of an action. Unlike the English verb “to see,” which can be ambiguous (e.g., “I was looking, but I couldn't see”), Chinese often uses “resultative verb compounds” to be more explicit. In English, we might say, “I looked for him, but I didn't see him.” The action and the lack of result are in two separate clauses. In Chinese, this is elegantly expressed in one continuous thought: 我找他了，但是没看见 (Wǒ zhǎo tā le, dànshì méi kànjiàn). The verb itself contains the outcome. This linguistic pattern encourages a mindset of precision regarding actions and their consequences. It's not just about trying; it's about whether the trying was successful. This concept extends to many other verbs, like 听见 (tīngjiàn) (to listen-hear), 找到 (zhǎodào) (to look for-find), and 做完 (zuòwán) (to do-finish). Understanding 看见 (kànjiàn) is your first step into this important grammatical and conceptual world.

看见 (kànjiàn) is an extremely common, everyday verb used in all contexts, from informal chats to more formal situations.

• Asking Questions: It's frequently used to ask if someone has seen something. The structure is typically “你看见…了吗?” (Nǐ kànjiàn…le ma?).
• Stating a Fact: It's used to state that you saw something, often with 了 (le) to indicate completion: “我看见了” (Wǒ kànjiàn le).
• Negation: This is critical. To say you “did not see” something, you must use 没 (méi), not 不 (bù). The correct form is 没看见 (méi kànjiàn). To say you “cannot see” something (due to an obstruction, poor eyesight, etc.), you use 看不见 (kàn bu jiàn).

• Example 1:
• 你看见我的手机了吗？
• Pinyin: Nǐ kànjiàn wǒ de shǒujī le ma?
• English: Did you see my phone?
• Analysis: This is a classic, everyday question. The particle 了 (le) indicates the action is being asked about in the recent past, and 吗 (ma) turns it into a yes/no question.
• Example 2:
• 我在窗户外面看见了一只猫。
• Pinyin: Wǒ zài chuānghu wàimiàn kànjiàn le yī zhī māo.
• English: I saw a cat outside the window.
• Analysis: A simple declarative sentence. 了 (le) after the verb emphasizes the completion of the action “to see.”
• Example 3:
• 对不起，我没看见你。
• Pinyin: Duìbuqǐ, wǒ méi kànjiàn nǐ.
• English: Sorry, I didn't see you.
• Analysis: This demonstrates the correct negative form for a past event. 没 (méi) is used to negate the completion of “seeing.” Saying “不看见 (bù kànjiàn)” here would be incorrect.
• Example 4:
• 电影院里太黑了，我什么都看不见。
• Pinyin: Diànyǐngyuàn lǐ tài hēi le, wǒ shénme dōu kàn bu jiàn.
• English: It's too dark in the movie theater, I can't see anything.
• Analysis: This introduces the potential complement form 看不见 (kàn bu jiàn), which means “cannot see” due to some condition (in this case, darkness). It expresses inability, not just a past failure.
• Example 5:
• 你往那边看，能看见那座山吗？
• Pinyin: Nǐ wǎng nàbiān kàn, néng kànjiàn nà zuò shān ma?
• English: Look over there, can you see that mountain?
• Analysis: This sentence beautifully shows the difference between 看 (kàn) and 看见 (kànjiàn). “往那边看” (wǎng nàbiān kàn) is the command to perform the action of looking. “能看见吗” (néng kànjiàn ma) asks about the ability to achieve the result of seeing.
• Example 6:
• 我昨天在超市看见王老师了。
• Pinyin: Wǒ zuótiān zài chāoshì kànjiàn Wáng lǎoshī le.
• English: I saw Teacher Wang at the supermarket yesterday.
• Analysis: A simple report of a past event. The time word 昨天 (zuótiān) firmly places the action in the past.
• Example 7:
• 别动！我好像看见了一只蜘蛛。
• Pinyin: Bié dòng! Wǒ hǎoxiàng kànjiàn le yī zhī zhīzhū.
• English: Don't move! I think I saw a spider.
• Analysis: 好像 (hǎoxiàng) means “it seems” or “I think,” adding a bit of uncertainty to the statement, which is a very natural way to speak.
• Example 8:
• 只要你仔细找，就一定能看见。
• Pinyin: Zhǐyào nǐ zǐxì zhǎo, jiù yīdìng néng kànjiàn.
• English: As long as you search carefully, you will definitely be able to see it.
• Analysis: This sentence uses the “只要…就…” (zhǐyào…jiù…) structure, meaning “as long as…then…”. It highlights that the result (看见) is conditional upon the action (“search carefully”).
• Example 9:
• 他看了半天，也没看见自己的名字在哪儿。
• Pinyin: Tā kàn le bàntiān, yě méi kànjiàn zìjǐ de míngzì zài nǎr.
• English: He looked for a long time, but still didn't see where his name was.
• Analysis: Another great example contrasting the action and the result. “看了半天” (kàn le bàntiān) means “looked for a long time” (the action). “也没看见” (yě méi kànjiàn) means “still didn't see” (the failed result).
• Example 10:
• 当我看见他的时候，他正在跟朋友聊天。
• Pinyin: Dāng wǒ kànjiàn tā de shíhou, tā zhèngzài gēn péngyou liáotiān.
• English: When I saw him, he was chatting with a friend.
• Analysis: This shows 看见 used in a more complex sentence structure, “当…的时候” (dāng…de shíhou), which means “when…”. The action of “seeing” is a single point in time, while the “chatting” was an ongoing action.

• 看 (kàn) vs. 看见 (kànjiàn): This is the most common point of confusion for learners.
  • 看 (kàn) is the ACTION of looking. Use it for commands or to describe an ongoing action.
    • Correct: 你看！(Nǐ kàn!) - You look!
    • Correct: 他在看电视。(Tā zài kàn diànshì.) - He is watching TV.
  • 看见 (kànjiàn) is the RESULT of seeing. Use it to describe the successful perception of something.
    • Correct: 我看见了。(Wǒ kànjiàn le.) - I saw it.
    • Incorrect: 我在看见电视。(Wǒ zài kànjiàn diànshì.) - This is wrong because “seeing” is an instantaneous result, not an ongoing process.
• Negating 看见:
  • 没看见 (méi kànjiàn): Correct for past events. It means “did not see.”
    • Example: 我找了，但是没看见。(Wǒ zhǎo le, dànshì méi kànjiàn.) - I looked, but I didn't see it.
  • 不看见 (bù kànjiàn): This is grammatically INCORRECT for negating a completed action. Never use it.
  • 看不见 (kàn bu jiàn): Correct for expressing INABILITY. It means “cannot see” because of some obstacle (too far, too dark, blocked view).
    • Example: 雾太大了，我看不见路。(Wù tài dà le, wǒ kàn bu jiàn lù.) - The fog is too thick, I can't see the road.
• “See” as in “Understand” or “Meet”: 看见 (kànjiàn) is only for visual perception.
  • To say “I see” (meaning “I understand”), use 我明白了 (Wǒ míngbai le).
  • To say “See you tomorrow,” use 明天见 (Míngtiān jiàn).

• 看 (kàn) - The action of looking, watching, or reading. The action component of 看见.
• 见 (jiàn) - To see or to meet. The result component of 看见.
• 看到 (kàndào) - A very common synonym for 看见. “到 (dào)” also indicates a successful result. For most beginner purposes, 看见 and 看到 are interchangeable.
• 看不见 (kàn bu jiàn) - Cannot see. The potential form, expressing inability to see something.
• 没看见 (méi kànjiàn) - Did not see. The negative form for a past event.
• 听见 (tīngjiàn) - The auditory equivalent of 看见. It means “to hear” (listen + result of hearing).
• 见面 (jiànmiàn) - To meet up, to meet face-to-face. Focuses on the social act of meeting someone.
• 找到 (zhǎodào) - To find. A resultative verb combining “to look for” (找) and “to succeed” (到).
• 明白 (míngbai) - To understand. Used for “I see” in the sense of comprehension.