见

See Radical (见)

jiàn · 4 strokes

The see radical (见) is a radical found in Chinese. It appears in 5 characters related to see and associated concepts. 5 characters: 1 in HSK 1, 2 in HSK 4, 1 in HSK 5, 1 in HSK 7-9. Radical classifications follow the Kangxi radical system. Character data is based on the HSK 3.0 Standard (CLEC 2022 syllabus).

Radical vs. Component: 见 is also a character component. As a radical, it classifies characters in dictionaries. As a component, it appears as a building block contributing meaning, sound, or structure. For component-specific details including role analysis and position patterns, see the See Component (见) page.

See Radical at a Glance

Stroke Count4
Total Characters5
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 4 (2 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes7
ClassificationKangxi Radicals

All See Radical Characters

HSK 1 (1 characters)

见jiànto see

HSK 4 (2 characters)

规guīcompass观guànto look at

HSK 5 (1 characters)

览lǎnto look at

HSK 7-9 (1 characters)

觅mì(literary) to seek

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the see radical mean in Chinese characters?
The see radical (见) signals a semantic connection to see-related concepts. When you see 见 in a character, it typically indicates the character's meaning involves see or associated ideas. It appears in 5 characters in the HSK character set. Radical classifications follow the Kangxi radical system, the traditional standard for organizing Chinese characters.
How many characters use the see radical?
There are 5 characters with the see radical (见) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 1 in HSK 1, 2 in HSK 4, 1 in HSK 5, 1 in HSK 7-9. The distribution across HSK levels reflects how fundamental see-related concepts are at each stage of Mandarin learning.
What are the most common see radical characters?
By frequency of use, the most common characters with the see radical (见) are: 见 (jiàn, "to see"), 规 (guī, "compass"), 观 (guàn, "to look at"), 览 (lǎn, "to look at"), 觅 (mì, "(literary) to seek"). These high-frequency characters are among the first see-related characters most learners encounter.
What HSK levels include see radical characters?
Characters with the see radical (见) appear across 4 HSK levels: 1 in HSK 1, 2 in HSK 4, 1 in HSK 5, 1 in HSK 7-9. The largest concentration is at HSK 4 with 2 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common see-related characters, while advanced levels add specialized or literary terms.

Sources & Standards

Radical classifications on this page follow the Kangxi radical system (康熙部首), the standard set of 214 radicals codified in the Kangxi Dictionary (康熙字典, 1716). Character data is based on the HSK 3.0 Standard (《国际中文教育中文水平等级标准》), published by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC), Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, 2022 revision.