How to Write 瞧 (qiáo) — Meaning “to look; to see (colloquial)”

Imagine you want to "take a look" at something that is so hot (焦, like burning) that you have to squint your eyes (目). The picture of squinting eyes near a fire helps you remember both the sound qiáo and the meaning "to look."

Write the left radical 目 first (vertical strokes), then the right part 焦: start with the top 隹 (bird) — pay attention to the many short horizontal strokes in order. A common mistake is making the 目 too wide or forgetting the small dot inside 隹; keep the right side balanced and compact.

瞧 means a casual look or glance, while 瞋 (chēn) specifically means to stare angrily or glare; 瞈 (wěng) is a very rare character used in an old word for "to blink" and not used in modern Chinese. Visually, 瞧 uses 焦 on the right, 瞋 uses 真 (truth) with an angry expression, and 瞈 uses 翁 (old man).

瞧 is a colloquial word for "look" or "see," common in northern Chinese spoken language and informal writing. You often hear it in phrases like 瞧一瞧 (take a look) or 瞧不起 (look down on). It is less formal than 看 and can add a friendly or casual tone to conversation.

Common words containing 瞧 include: 瞧一瞧 (qiáo yī qiáo) — to take a look; 瞧见 (qiáo jiàn) — to see; to catch sight of; 瞧不起 (qiáo bù qǐ) — to look down upon; to despise.