见

• Pinyin: jiàn
• Hanzi breakdown: 见 = simplified from 見; 目 (eye) + 儿 (person) — a person seeing with their eyes

Meaning

To see; to meet. Used for both visual perception and meeting someone.

Commonly used in greetings and farewells: 再见 (goodbye, literally 'see again'). Also used in 见面 (to meet face-to-face) and 看见 (to see, to catch sight of). At HSK 1, mainly appears in simple meeting and greeting contexts.

Examples

1. 明天见！ See you tomorrow!
2. 很高兴见到你。 Nice to meet you.
3. 我昨天见到了老师。 I saw the teacher yesterday.

Usage Guide

Context: greetings, everyday

Tone: friendly

Do Say

• 明天见！(See you tomorrow!)
• 很高兴见到你。(Nice to meet you.)

Don't Say

• 我见了那本书。(见 is for people; for spotting objects, use 看见: 我看见了那本书)

Origin & History

The character 见 is simplified from 見. The traditional form shows 目 (eye) on top of 儿 (person) — a person using their eyes to see.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal