看见
看look见perceive=see
见
见 (jiàn) Chinese Character: to see; meet
An eye notices someone: seeing can become meeting.
Practice 见 in the interactive lessonChinese character story: An Eye Above a Person
见 (jiàn) connects seeing and meeting. Put it after 看 to make 看见, “to see” or “catch sight of.” Use 见到 when you meet or manage to see someone, and say 明天见 for “See you tomorrow.” The traditional form 見 makes the old eye-and-person idea easier to notice, while the modern simplified character keeps the same pronunciation and everyday uses in only four strokes.
🧩 Word buildingSee what every part contributes
Chinese words often combine short meaning clues. Fixed expressions are clearly marked so you do not translate them too literally.
再见
再again见see=goodbye; see you again
Chinese character origin and etymology
见 is simplified from 見. Early forms placed an eye above a person to emphasize the act of seeing. The meaning later expanded from noticing something with the eyes to meeting a person.
The simplified form 见 uses four strokes and ends with a curved hook extending to the right. 见 works as one complete form rather than a puzzle made from smaller modern components. Learning its overall silhouette is useful because the same shape may later appear inside more complex characters.
Chinese character stroke order and structure
见 is written with 4 strokes. Learn the complete stroke sequence in the interactive lesson, then write the character from memory before checking your answer.
- 见 — to see; meet — learn the complete modern shape as one unit
Common usage and sentence patterns
The examples below show 见 in complete beginner-friendly sentences. Read each sentence aloud, notice where the character appears, and then replace one noun or number to create a new sentence of your own.
明天见。
See you tomorrow.
我看见他了。
I saw him.
很高兴见到你。
Nice to meet you.
Learning tips for 见
Learn the reading as one unit: jiàn, with the fourth tone: a sharp fall. Avoid memorizing the letters without the tone mark. Say the syllable, recall the English meaning “to see; meet,” and write the 4 strokes from memory.
Because 见 is a basic form, focus on its proportions and stroke direction. Compare it with 目 (mù, eye); 看 (kàn, to look; watch); 人 (rén, person). Similar characters are easier to remember when their different parts and meanings are studied side by side.
Quick review checklist
- Can you recognize 见 without pinyin?
- Can you say jiàn with the correct tone and explain “to see; meet”?
- Can you write all 4 strokes in order?
- Can you use 见 in one short sentence?
Related characters
Learn 见 in a themed collection
Compare this character with related beginner words. A themed path helps you notice useful pairs, word-building patterns, and everyday contexts.
Continue learning Chinese characters
Use the Chinese radicals and components guide to understand reusable parts, the stroke order guide to improve handwriting, and the HSK 1 character overview to choose your next beginner lesson.
Sources and editorial note
HanziStory separates documented character history from modern memory stories. Historical-form images are shown only when a matching source file is available; missing stages are skipped rather than invented. Stroke practice uses HanziWriter data.
Last updated: August 12, 2026. Read our sources, editorial method, and correction policy.