Comparing "jian" and "kan"
Both 见 (jiàn) and 看 (kàn) are often used in informal and formal settings to mean “to meet” or “to see someone”. 见 (jiàn) can also mean to “meet up with” someone, while 看 (kàn) can also mean to watch, to read, or to look at, and even has a special use for visiting the doctor.
| 见 (jiàn) | 看 (kàn) | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | to meet someone | to watch, to read, to look at, to visit |
| Part of Speech | verb | verb |
| Formality | flexible | flexible |
Contents
To say "to read," "to watch," or "to look at" use 看 (kàn)
To describe a situation in which someone is reading a book, watching tv, taking in a sporting event or performance on tv or in person, or even enjoying the scenery only 看 (kàn) can be used, meaning "to watch" or "to look at."
Common Phrases
- 看 书
- 看 电影
- 看 手机
- 看 风景
Example Sentences
- 我 很 喜欢 看 书。
- 他 不 想 工作，他 想 看 手机。
- 昨天 我 去 看 电影 了。
- 我 喜欢 旅游，因为 我 想 看 风景。
To say "to meet up with" someone use 见 (jiàn)
Set Phrases
Meeting up (i.e., getting together, a rendezvous) with someone is often used in fixed phrases, often resembling the English pattern “see you tomorrow”, “see you next time”, etc.
- 明天 见
- 见面
- 好 久 不 见
Common Phrases
If you want to describe a situation in which you go and see someone in person, you also use 见 (jiàn).
- 见 朋友 go see you
Example Sentences
While 见 (jiàn) is used in fixed phrases to mean “meeting up”, it can also be independently to mean “meet up” in the sense of have an encounter or have interaction with someone.
- 今天 晚上 我 去 见 朋友 。
- 我们 下 星期 见。
- 好 久 不 见，你 最近 好 吗？
- 我 和 朋友 明天 晚上 见面。
- 我们 在 咖啡馆 见面 吧。
- 他 今天 很 忙 ， 没 时间 见 你 了 。
- 今天 不 能 和 你 一起 去 吃饭 了，我 要 去 见 客户。
- 我 没有 见 过 他，不 知道 他 是 谁。
- 那个 女孩儿 很 好，见 过 她 的 人 都 很 喜欢 她。
- 三 年 不 见， 他 的 变化 很 大 。
To say "to visit the doctor" use 看 (kàn)
Although this is a special use of 看 (kàn), it pretty easy to understand, if you have an appointment with the doctor or to need to pay a visit to the doctor because of sickness or an ailment use 看 (kàn).
Set Phrases
- 看 病
- 看 医生
Example Sentences
- 他 身体 有点 不舒服，他 明天 去 看 病 。
- 我 昨天 去 看 医生 了。
To say "to visit" someone use 看 (kàn)
If you want to describe a situation in which you visit someone, as in going on a vacation to see relatives or visiting someone in their home to catch up, etc. use 看 (kàn). These imply the purpose of the visit includes inquiries into someone else’s health and well-being.
Look above (specifically 见 (jiàn) used in the sense of “to meet someone”) and you can see that here 看 (kàn) and 见 (jiàn)’s use and example sentences are all very similar; just remember, using 看 (kàn) emphasizes a visit and includes a taking into consideration someone else’s health and well-being, and that in this context 看 (kàn) is not as commonly used as 见 (jiàn).
Common Phrases
- 去 看 你 go visit you
- 看 家人
Example Sentences
- 我 暑假 去 看 家人。
- 我们 今天 去 南京 看 朋友。
- 明天 我 去 看 你。
- 我 听说 她 最近 不开心，我 想 去 看 她。
- 张老师 没有 来 我们 家 看 我们。
看见 (kànjiàn) means "to see"
In the word 看见 (kànjiàn), 看 (kàn) means "to look at," but is combined with the result complement 见 (jiàn), which is not the same as the verb 见, detailed above. 看见 (kànjiàn) means "to see." It is equivalent to the word 看到 (kàndào).
- 我 看见 了 一 只 猫。
- 不 好意思，我 没有 看见 你。
- 昨天 我 在 超市 看见 了 他，但是 他 没有 看见 我 。
- 你 能 看见 我 吗？
For more advanced uses of 看见 (kànjiàn) and 看到 (kàndào), be sure to check out their article on the Chinese Grammar Wiki.
