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 "to seem"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to seem", including 像 (xiàng), 似 (sì), 若 (ruò). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to seem" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 像 (xiàng), 似 (sì), 若 (ruò) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span xiàng, sì, ruò — 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
- 似 sìto seem; to appear; similar; like; to resembleUseful words: 类似, 相似
- 若 ruòto seem; like; as; ifUseful words: 若干, 倘若
Common words for these 3 "to seem" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 像 (xiàng) — so "to seem" 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 3 ways to say "to seem".
似 sì — to seem; to appear; similar; like; to resemble
这两幅画看起来很相似。Zhè liǎng fú huà kàn qǐ lái hěn xiāng sì.These two paintings look very similar.
Common words: 类似 (lèi sì)、相似 (xiāng sì)、似乎 (sì hū)
若 ruò — to seem; like; as; if
你若有问题，可以随时问我。Nǐ ruò yǒu wèn tí, kě yǐ suí shí wèn wǒ.If you have any questions, you can ask me anytime.
Common words: 若干 (ruò gān)、倘若 (tǎng ruò)、若是 (ruò shì)
All 3 characters
Open 像、似、若 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.