Kilo Lingo

(kàn qǐ lái) - it seems, it looks like, apparently in Mandarin

kànlái

Traditional: 看起來

Line drawing of 看起来
Coloured illustration of 看起来
HSK 4
#312 of 5,000 Core 1000

Translation

it seems, it looks like, apparently

Word origin

看起来 means it seems or looks like. 看 (kàn) is to look. 起 (qǐ) is to rise (走 'run' radical with phonetic 己). 来 (lái) is to come. The 起来 complement gives the sense of how something appears on viewing.

Origin
compound
Root
看 (kàn, to look) + 起 (qǐ, to rise) + 来 (lái, to come)

Stroke order

Stroke order for 看

Stroke order for 起

Stroke order for 来

Examples

It looks like it's going to rain.

He looks very tired.

This piece of clothing looks nice.

cài

This dish looks delicious.

He seems to be in a good mood.

看起来 (kàn qǐ lái) - it seems, it looks like, apparently.

Where this fits

Used in

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Mandarin · Free printables

看起来: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "看起来" (it seems, it looks like, apparently): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.

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This word is part of lesson 7.