hon3 gin3看見看见
Jyutpinghon3 gin3
Yalehon gin
Definition
To see; to catch sight of.
colloquialdaily actions
How it's used
Use 見到 to describe the act of perceiving something with your eyes, functioning as a resultative verb compound. It is the standard way to express 'to see' in everyday speech, whereas 睇見 often carries a nuance of noticing or catching sight of something unexpectedly. Unlike the Mandarin 看見, which can feel slightly more formal or literary, 見到 is the default choice for all casual contexts.
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using 看見 in spoken Cantonese, as it sounds like a direct translation from Mandarin. Stick to 見到 for general perception and 睇見 when you want to emphasize the moment of spotting something.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
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Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
