How to Write 视 (shì) — Meaning “To look at; vision; sight”

Imagine a person on the left (礻 looks like a person with arms raised) looking to the right at something visible (见 means 'see'). So 视 is like 'a person seeing' – you can picture someone saying 'I see!' while pointing.

When writing 视, the left radical 礻 must be written first with three strokes: dot, horizontal, vertical, then a small dot. A common mistake is making the right side 见 too wide or writing its vertical hook (竖弯钩) too straight—remember it curves to the right like a hook.

All three share the radical 礻, but 视 has 见 (see) on the right, meaning 'to look' or 'vision'. 社 has 土 (earth) meaning 'society' or 'community', while 祀 has 巳 (a snake-like shape) meaning 'sacrifice' or 'worship'. Focus on the right-side component.

视 appears in common words like 电视 (diànshì, television), 视频 (shìpín, video), and 重视 (zhòngshì, to value or attach importance to). It is used in both everyday and formal settings, often relating to sight, observation, or attention.

Common words containing 视 include: 电视 (diàn shì) — Television; 视频 (shì pín) — Video; 重视 (zhòng shì) — To value; to attach importance to.