参观

• Pinyin: cān guān
• Hanzi breakdown: 参 (cān) — participate, join, observe; 观 (guān) — look, watch, view

Meaning

To visit; to tour. Used specifically for visiting places to look around, learn, or sightsee.

Implies a purposeful visit to observe or learn, typically to museums, factories, schools, or scenic spots. Different from 拜访, which means visiting a person.

Examples

1. 我们明天去参观博物馆。 We're going to visit the museum tomorrow.
2. 欢迎大家来参观我们的学校。 Welcome everyone to visit our school.
3. 上个月我参观了一个很大的工厂。 Last month I visited a very large factory.

Usage Guide

Context: tourism, education, field trips, cultural visits

Tone: informative

Do Say

• 我想参观故宫。(I want to visit the Forbidden City.)
• 他们来参观我们的公司。(They came to visit our company.)

Don't Say

• Do not use 参观 for visiting a person — use 拜访 or 看望 instead. 参观 is only for visiting places.

Origin & History

Compound of 参 (participate, observe) and 观 (look, view). Together they convey 'observe by going to see.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal