观 (guàn): to look at, to watch, to observe
观 (guàn) is a Chinese character meaning “to look at.” Classified as HSK Level 4 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 又 (structural) and 见 (structural). It ranks #334 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 观 to see 见 again 又. Its radical form 见 (see) appears in many related characters such as 见 (jiàn, to see), 规 (guī, compass), 览 (lǎn, to look at).
Definitions
- to look at
- to watch
- to observe
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 观 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 观
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 观众noun | guān zhòng | spectators | 4 |
| 观察verb | guān chá | to observe | 5 |
| 观点noun | guān diǎn | point of view | 5 |
| 观看verb | guān kàn | to watch | 4 |
| 参观verb | cān guān | to visit (a place, e.g. museum or factory) | 4 |
| 乐观adjective | lè guān | optimistic | 5 |
| 观念noun | guān niàn | notion | 5 |
| 客观adjective | kè guān | objective | 5 |
| 观光verb | guān guāng | to tour | 6 |
| 悲观adjective | bēi guān | pessimistic | 6 |
| 观赏verb | guān shǎng | to look at sth with pleasure | 6 |
| 主观adjective | zhǔ guān | subjective | 5 |
| 景观noun | jǐng guān | landscape | 6 |
| 外观noun | wài guān | outward appearance | 5 |
| 美观adjective | měi guān | pleasing to the eye | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 壮观 | zhuàng guān | spectacular |
| 价值观 | jià zhí guān | value system |
| 旁观者 | páng guān zhě | observer |
| 可观 | kě guān | worth seeing |
| 旁观 | páng guān | spectator |
| 改观 | gǎi guān | change of appearance |
| 观摩 | guān mó | to observe and emulate |
| 观战 | guān zhàn | to watch from the sidelines |
| 观测 | guān cè | to observe |
| 观望 | guān wàng | to wait and see |
| 观察力 | guān chá lì | power of observation |
| 观察员 | guān chá yuán | observer |
| 奇观 | qí guān | spectacle |
| 围观 | wéi guān | to stand in a circle and watch |
| 观光客 | guān guāng kè | tourist |
观 appears in 100 compound words: 44 as the first character, 48 as the last, and 8 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 观 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (14)
to read a person (to interpret or infer a meaning or significance based on facial expression, tone of voice etc)
to delay entering the fray until all others have been exhausted by fighting amongst themselves
an outsider can see things more clearly or objectively than those involved (idiom)
to put one's hands into one's sleeves and look on; to observe and do nothing; to stand by; to become a passive observer
to read a person (to interpret or infer a meaning or significance based on facial expression, tone of voice etc)
to delay entering the fray until all others have been exhausted by fighting amongst themselves
to put one's hands into one's sleeves and look on; to observe and do nothing; to stand by; to become a passive observer
Showing 12 of 14 idioms containing 观.
Example Sentences
老师教我们观字的发音和笔顺。
lǎo shī jiào wǒ men guàn zì de fā yīn hé bǐ shùn .
The teacher taught us the pronunciation and stroke order of the character "观."
荣誉观护人提供曾经毒贩第二人生 获厨艺大奖肯定
róng yù guàn hù rén tí gōng céng jīng dú fàn dì èr rén shēng huò chú yì dà jiǎng kěn dìng
Honorary Guardian Provided Second Life of a former drug dealer and was recognized by the Cooking Award
...约20人受困5.5小时 1200游客滞留观景台
. . . yuē 2 0 rén shòu kùn 5 . 5 xiǎo shí 1 2 0 0 yóu kè zhì liú guàn jǐng tái
... About 20 people were trapped for 5.5 hours, and 1,200 tourists were stranded at the observation deck
...电梯急坠事故 约20人受困 大批游客滞留观景台
. . . diàn tī jí zhuì shì gù yuē 2 0 rén shòu kùn dà pī yóu kè zhì liú guàn jǐng tái
... About 20 people were trapped in the elevator crash, and a large number of tourists were stranded at the observation deck
上观时评|“马上”体祝福里的民生期盼·新世说
shàng guàn shí píng mǎ shàng tǐ zhù fú lǐ de mín shēng qī pàn xīn shì shuō
Shangguan Commentary|" Immediately, "the people's livelihood expectations in the blessing of the new world said
客观的历史存在吗？
Kèguān de lìshǐ cúnzài ma?
Does objective history exist?
您参观过东京塔吗？
Nín cānguān guo Dōngjīngtǎ ma?
Did you visit the Tokyo Tower?
你为什么问我的观点？
Nǐ wèishénme wèn wǒ de guāndiǎn?
Why are you asking my opinion?
这不是我的观点，只是我翻译的！
Zhè bù shì wǒ de guāndiǎn, zhǐshì wǒ fānyì de!
This isn't my opinion, it's just what I've translated.
你能安排一个晚上坐观光巴士吗?
Nǐ néng ānpái yī gè wǎnshang zuò guānguāng bāshì ma?
Can you arrange for a night tour bus?
Character Family
见 Radical Family — Characters sharing the see radical
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 观 (guàn) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 观 have?
What is the radical of 观?
What are the components of 观?
What are common words containing 观?
What characters sound the same as 观 (guàn)?
Is 观 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 观 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.