从 cōng / cóng / zòng — lax; yielding; unhurried; from; obey; observe
他从早到晚都在工作。Tā cóng zǎo dào wǎn dōu zài gōng zuò.He works from morning to night.
Common words: 从小 (cóng xiǎo)、从来 (cóng lái)、自从 (zì cóng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "observe"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "observe", including 从 (cōng / cóng / zòng), 察 (chá). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "observe" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 从 (cōng / cóng / zòng), 察 (chá) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span cōng, cóng, zòng, chá — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 从 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 从 cōng / cóng / zònglax; yielding; unhurried; from; obey; observeUseful words: 从小, 从来
- 察 cháexamine; inquire; observe; inspect; look into; to examineUseful words: 警察, 观察
Common words for these 2 "observe" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 从 (cōng / cóng / zòng) — so "observe" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
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 2 ways to say "observe".
察 chá — examine; inquire; observe; inspect; look into; to examine
他仔细观察着这只小昆虫。Tā zǐ xì guān chá zhe zhè zhī xiǎo kūn chóng.He carefully observed this little insect.
Common words: 警察 (jǐng chá)、观察 (guān chá)、考察 (kǎo chá)
All 2 characters
Open 从、察 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.