观 guān / guàn — to look at; to watch; to observe; to behold; Taoist monastery
山顶上的景色十分壮观。Shān dǐng shàng de jǐng sè shí fēn zhuàng guān.The view from the mountaintop is magnificent.
Common words: 观点 (guān diǎn)、参观 (cān guān)、观众 (guān zhòng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to observe"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to observe", including 观 (guān / guàn), 占 (zhān / zhàn), 遵 (zūn). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to observe" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 观 (guān / guàn), 占 (zhān / zhàn), 遵 (zūn) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span guān, guàn, zhān, zhàn, zūn — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 观 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 观 guān / guànto look at; to watch; to observe; to behold; Taoist monasteryUseful words: 观点, 参观
- 占 zhān / zhànto observe; to divine; to divine; to occupy; to constitute; to make upUseful words: 占领, 占有
- 遵 zūnto observe; to obey; to followUseful words: 遵守, 遵循
Common words for these 3 "to observe" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 观 (guān / guàn) — so "to observe" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
观点guān diǎnpoint of view; viewpoint; standpoint参观cān guānto visit (a place, e.g. museum or factory); to tour; to look around观众guān zhòngspectators; audience; visitors (to an exhibition etc)占领zhàn lǐngto capture; to seize; to occupy by force占有zhàn yǒuto have; to own; to hold; to occupy占线zhàn xiànbusy (telephone line)遵守zūn shǒuto comply with; to abide by; to respect (an agreement)遵循zūn xúnto follow; to abide by; to comply with遵照zūn zhàoin accordance with; to follow (the rules)
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 "to observe".
占 zhān / zhàn — to observe; to divine; to divine; to occupy; to constitute; to make up
这张桌子占了不少地方。Zhè zhāng zhuō zi zhàn le bù shǎo dì fang.This table takes up quite a lot of space.
Common words: 占领 (zhàn lǐng)、占有 (zhàn yǒu)、占线 (zhàn xiàn)
遵 zūn — to observe; to obey; to follow
我们都要自觉遵守学校的规定。Wǒ men dōu yào zì jué zūn shǒu xué xiào de guī dìng.We should all consciously obey the school rules.
Common words: 遵守 (zūn shǒu)、遵循 (zūn xún)、遵照 (zūn zhào)
All 3 characters
Open 观、占、遵 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.