What's the difference between 看, 看见 and 看到?

Author

Sandy Cheng
June 16, 2025

For a long time, I hesitated to make videos about 看见 (kànjiàn) and 看到 (kàndào), because no matter how I tried to explain them, the subtle differences always seemed too tricky for Chinese learners to grasp.

But last week, I finally made two short videos—one about 看 and 看见, and one about 看见 and 看到. And if you follow the tips in those videos, you’ll already understand 98% of how and when to use these words.

As for the remaining 2%? Don’t worry about it.

Even native speakers often can’t explain exactly why they choose one over the other. They just go with what feels right. And the only way to build that kind of feeling is to immerse yourself in Chinese and keep using it in real situations.

So yes, these words can give beginners a bit of a headache. But my advice? Keep it simple.

Just try to remember a few basic rules, and you’ll already know more than many native speakers—because native speakers don’t usually stop to analyze these words, they just use them.

看 and 看见

This one’s nice and simple:

If you’re ever unsure about the difference between 看 (kàn) and 看见 (kànjiàn), just remember this:

看 means to look, to watch, or to read —
like in 看我 (kàn wǒ – look at me), 看电影 (kàn diànyǐng – watch a movie), or 看书 (kàn shū – read a book).

看见 means to see — as in, your eyes caught something and you noticed it.

Put simply:

  • 看 is the action — you're directing your eyes at something.

  • 看见 is the result — you looked and actually saw something.

看见 and 看到

看到 (kàndào) and 看见 (kànjiàn) both mean “to see,” and most of the time, you can use either one without a problem.

But here’s a small difference that can help:

看到 is a bit more flexible — it can be used not only for things you physically see, but also for more abstract things, like emotions or qualities.

看见, on the other hand, is usually for things you literally see with your eyes.

Quick tip:

If you're talking about seeing something physical, both 看到 and 看见 work.
But if you're talking about something abstract — like “I saw hope in her eyes” — use 看到.

🏯The June Beginner Chinese Group Class is full! You can sign up for the waitlist and will be able to enroll 48 hours before everyone else when the next round starts in July: BEGINNER GROUP CLASS

Reply

or to participate.