kān

to look after

HSK 1 9 strokes
Stroke order animation for 看

Words with this Character

Core Meanings

The verb "" (kān) primarily means "to look" or "to watch," but it also frequently means "to look after" or "to take care of." It is a very common verb used in everyday conversation for various contexts involving seeing, observing, or caring.

Usage Notes

"" can be used literally to describe the act of looking at something, as in "" (to read a book) or "电视" (to watch TV). It also extends to caring for people or animals, such as "孩子" (to look after children). Additionally, it can be used to draw attention, like "" (look!).

Common Collocations

  • (kàn shū): to read a book
  • 电视 (kàn diànshì): to watch TV
  • 孩子 (kàn háizi): to look after children
  • 医生 (kàn yīshēng): to see a doctor

Tips

Be careful not to confuse "" with "看见" (kànjiàn), which means "to see" in the sense of perceiving something visually. "" often implies an intentional action of looking or watching.

Example Sentences

我每天都要看书一个小时。

Wǒ měitiān dōu yào kàn shū yí gè xiǎoshí.

I read books for an hour every day.

请你帮我看一下孩子。

Qǐng nǐ bāng wǒ kàn yí xià háizi.

Please help me look after the child.

你看,那边有一只小狗。

Nǐ kàn, nà biān yǒu yì zhī xiǎo gǒu.

Look, there is a puppy over there.