Writing
看来 (kàn lái) — how to say "it seems" in Chinese
看来
It seems, it looks like
verb
Character composition
看
to look
来
to come
Radicals / Keys
目
Eye
#109 · mù · 5 strokes
木
Tree
#75 · mù · 4 strokes
Synonyms
Collocations
现在看来
xiàn zài kàn lái
Judging by how things look now.
Examples
看来他今天不来
It seems he won't come today
看来你已经准备好了。
It seems you are ready.
Mnemonic
[kàn lái-] A mole named Kan popped out of his burrow, glanced at a dark cloud and decided: "看来 it will rain, I'll take my umbrella." He walked home dry through the downpour, because he did take the umbrella. ☁️🌂
Try remembering 看来
Three short exercises on meaning and pronunciation. Free, no sign-up needed.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say "it seems" in Chinese?
"it seems" in Chinese is 看来 (kàn lái).
What does 看来 mean in English?
看来 (kàn lái) means "It seems, it looks like".
How is 看来 pronounced?
It is pronounced kàn lái (written as kan lai, kanlai). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "it seems" in Chinese characters?
It is written 看来: 看 has 9 strokes, 来 has 7 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order of each character and lets you trace it.
What HSK 3.0 level is 看来?
看来 is on the HSK 3.0 level 3 word list. It is not part of the six-level HSK 2.0 lists.
Tomyo
Learn Chinese words with spaced repetition
Add 看来 to your vocabulary and remember it with smart reviews, audio and examples.