像 xiàng — (look) like; similar (to); appearance; to appear; to seem; image
这个孩子长得很像他爸爸。Zhè ge hái zi zhǎng de hěn xiàng tā bà ba.This child looks a lot like his father.
Common words: 好像 (hǎo xiàng)、偶像 (ǒu xiàng)、摄像机 (shè xiàng jī)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "look"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "look", including 像 (xiàng), 色 (sè / shǎi), 容 (róng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "look" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 像 (xiàng), 色 (sè / shǎi), 容 (róng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span xiàng, sè, shǎi, róng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 像 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 像 xiàng(look) like; similar (to); appearance; to appear; to seem; imageUseful words: 好像, 偶像
- 色 sè / shǎicolor; look; appearance; color; diceUseful words: 颜色, 红色
- 容 róngto hold; to contain; to allow; appearance; look; countenanceUseful words: 容易, 内容
Common words for these 3 "look" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 像 (xiàng) — so "look" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
好像hǎo xiàngas if; to seem like偶像ǒu xiàngidol摄像机shè xiàng jīvideo camera颜色yán sècolor; countenance; appearance; facial expression红色hóng sèred (color); revolutionary黑色hēi sèblack容易róng yìeasy; straightforward; likely; liable to内容nèi róngcontent; substance; details形容xíng róngto describe; (literary) countenance; appearance
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "look".
色 sè / shǎi — color; look; appearance; color; dice
我最喜欢的颜色是蓝色。Wǒ zuì xǐ huan de yán sè shì lán sè.My favorite color is blue.
Common words: 颜色 (yán sè)、红色 (hóng sè)、黑色 (hēi sè)
容 róng — to hold; to contain; to allow; appearance; look; countenance
这个教室能容纳五十个学生。Zhè ge jiào shì néng róng nà wǔ shí ge xué sheng.This classroom can hold fifty students.
Common words: 容易 (róng yì)、内容 (nèi róng)、形容 (xíng róng)
All 3 characters
Open 像、色、容 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.