# How to Use 看起来 in Chinese (HSK 3 Grammar Guide) | HSKReady Canonical: https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-3-fixed-phrases-19654f9298 Language: en Content ID: web-grammar-hsk-3-fixed-phrases-19654f9298 HSK levels: 3 Updated: 2026-10-23T04:55:49.488Z Scope: published website educational content; full vocabulary, question bank and mock exams remain in the app. Learn the HSK 3 fixed phrase 看起来 (kàn qǐlái) to express visual impressions and judgments in Mandarin, with clear structures, examples, and contrasts. Grammar [HSK 3 · Phrases › Fixed phrases › Other fixed phrases](https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-3#hsk-3-g040) # HSK 3 Fixed Phrase 看起来: Expressing How Things Look and Seem In the HSK 3 grammar outline, 看起来 (kàn qǐlái) is classified as a fixed phrase used to express how a person, object, or situation appears based on observation. It corresponds to English expressions like 'to look,' 'to seem,' or 'judging by appearances.' Subject / Topic 看起来 Evaluative Predicate Example sentence 他今天看起来很累。 Tā jīntiān kàn qǐlái hěn lèi. He looks very tired today. 看起来 follows the subject and introduces an adjective phrase based on his visible state. A common mistake × 他看起来我。 Tā kàn qǐlái wǒ. Intended: He is looking at me. To describe a gaze directed at someone, use 看 or 看着: 他看着我. The evaluative 看起来 does not take 我 as the target of a gaze. Corrected example: 他看着我。 **Read the full explanation and examples** ## Core Meaning and Syllabus Scope In the HSK 3 syllabus under the category of fixed phrases (固定短语), 看起来 is introduced as a high-frequency expression for making evaluations based on how something looks or presents itself. Although it is built from the verb 看 (to look) and the directional complement 起来, in everyday communication it functions as a single, cohesive unit meaning 'it looks like,' 'it seems,' or 'by the look of it.' 看起来 presents the statement as an impression or assessment, not necessarily a confirmed fact. Visible appearance is a common basis, but the phrase can also draw on the overall situation. In 看起来，这个问题不简单, the speaker may be assessing what is known about the problem rather than literally looking at it. The HSK 3 placement of 看起来 reflects the supplied 2025-11 syllabus outline (labeled for 2026-07 implementation), which defines teaching scope rather than guaranteeing the exact test version administered at every examination center. ## Sentence Structures and Natural Use The most common way to use 看起来 is directly after the subject or topic being observed, followed by an evaluative predicate. The predicate is frequently an adjective phrase (usually modified by a degree adverb like 很 or 非常), a verb phrase expressing an estimation, or a comparison with 像. Subject / Topic 看起来 Evaluative Predicate 他今天看起来很累。 Tā jīntiān kàn qǐlái hěn lèi. He looks very tired today. 看起来 follows the subject and introduces an adjective phrase based on his visible state. 这块蛋糕看起来很好吃。 Zhè kuài dàngāo kàn qǐlái hěn hǎochī. This piece of cake looks delicious. Even though 好吃 relates to taste, 看起来 shows that the speaker is judging from how the cake looks before eating it. 她看起来不到三十岁。 Tā kàn qǐlái bù dào sānshí suì. She looks to be under thirty years old. 看起来 introduces a verb phrase (不到三十岁) estimating someone's age from appearance. 看起来 can also stand at the very beginning of a clause, often followed by a pause or comma in writing. In this position, it comments on a whole situation and translates naturally as 'It looks like...' or 'Judging from how things appear...' 看起来 ， Observation Clause 看起来，这个问题不简单。 Kàn qǐlái, zhège wèntí bù jiǎndān. It looks like this problem is not simple. Placed at the start of the sentence, 看起来 frames the entire clause as an observational judgment. ## Useful Contrasts: 看起来 vs. 好像 and 看来 English learners often translate 看起来, 好像 (hǎoxiàng), and 看来 (kànlái) with the same word, 'seem.' However, their sources of evidence and typical contexts differ in helpful ways: - 看起来 commonly introduces an impression from appearance, but can also mean judging by the overall situation. It is not restricted to evidence literally seen with the eyes. - 好像 expresses a broader sense of 'seemingly' or 'as if.' It can be used for visual similarity, but it is also widely used for uncertain memory, hearsay, or internal feelings where no visual observation is involved. - 看来 is used to draw a logical conclusion from known facts or circumstances ('it appears that / in view of the situation'), rather than describing how a person or object physically looks. For a tentative report based on what someone said, 好像 is a natural choice in the example below. 看起来 and 看来 may also introduce an inference from broader circumstances. Choose according to the intended judgment, not a rule that only information on a screen can count as non-visual evidence for 看起来. 我听别人说，他好像生病了。 Wǒ tīng biérén shuō, tā hǎoxiàng shēngbìng le. I heard from others that he seems to be sick. Because the judgment comes from hearsay (听别人说) rather than visual appearance, 好像 fits naturally. ## Grammatical Limits and Common Learner Mistakes When used as this fixed evaluative phrase, 看起来 does not act as a transitive action verb. It cannot take a noun or pronoun directly after it to mean 'look at someone' or 'begin looking at something.' It must be followed by a description, assessment, or full clause. A common mistake occurs when learners want to describe the physical action of one person looking at another and mistakenly attach 起来 before the object: × 他看起来我。 Tā kàn qǐlái wǒ. Intended: He is looking at me. To describe a gaze directed at someone, use 看 or 看着: 他看着我. The evaluative 看起来 does not take 我 as the target of a gaze. Corrected example: 他看着我。 他看着我。 Tā kàn zhe wǒ. He is looking at me. 看着我 describes the physical action of looking at me, rather than an assessment of how I seem. Finally, notice where negation goes. When expressing that someone 'does not look tired' or something 'does not seem simple,' you negate the predicate after 看起来 (for example, 看起来不累 or 看起来不太好), rather than placing 不 directly before 看起来. ## Frequently asked questions **How do you say 'does not look like' with 看起来?** Place the negation word (such as 不 or 没) after 看起来, right before the adjective or verb phrase—for example, 看起来不高兴 (does not look happy) or 看起来不像老师 (does not look like a teacher). **Why can 看起来 be followed by words like 好吃 (delicious) that describe taste rather than sight?** Because 看起来 indicates the basis of your judgment is visual, even if the quality you are predicting belongs to another sense. Saying a dish 看起来很好吃 means its visual presentation makes you expect it will taste good. **Can 看起来 and 像 be used together?** Yes: 他看起来像学生 means he looks like a student. You can also use 是 for an inferred identity, as in 他看起来是个学生. For weather, 看起来要下雨了 means it looks as though it will rain; do not mechanically turn the English phrase looks like rain into a noun comparison. **Source**[hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com · PDF page 393](https://hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com/3.0/%E6%96%B0%E7%89%88HSK%E8%80%83%E8%AF%95%E5%A4%A7%E7%BA%B21219.pdf#page=393) ## Continue in the app Full mock exams are available in HSKReady. [![Download on the App Store](https://hskready.app/download-on-app-store-black.svg)Download on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id6791916440?l=en)[![Get it on Google Play](https://hskready.app/get-it-on-google-play.svg)Get it on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.curiolab.hskready&hl=en) [HSKReady App](https://hskready.app/en/app)