看来

kàn lai

HSK 2.0 Level 5 HSK 3.0 Level 3 Verb Very common

Definitions

1. apparently
2. it seems that

Word relationships

Synonyms

3 items

• 看起来 kàn qǐ lai 看起来 kàn qǐ lai seemingly in general statements: seemingly
• 似乎 sì hū 似乎 sì hū it seems; seemingly; as if more formal, often written: it seems; seemingly; as if
• 好像 hǎo xiàng 好像 hǎo xiàng as if more colloquial: as if

Usage notes

Collocations

看来 is often followed by a clause describing a subjective judgment, e.g., 看来要下雨了 (It seems it's going to rain).

Common mistakes

Don't confuse 看来 (it seems that) with 看起来 (looks like). 看来 is based on inference, while 看起来 is based on appearance.

Example Sentences

1 shown

看来 今天不会下雨。

It seems it won't rain today.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Words Containing 看来

• 由此看来 由此看来 yóu cǐ kàn lái: thereby
• 在我看来 在我看来 zài wǒ kàn lái: in my opinion

Child Words of 看来

• 来 来 lái: to come
• 看 看 kān: to look after
• 看 看 kàn: to see