瞧 (qiáo) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

瞧

qiáo[qiao2]Tone 2

to look at

HSK 5

Guru Deep Dive

English · to look at

Cached lesson

1 / 1

Topology:Left-right

Strokes:17

Writing Balance Rule: Keep the left component (目) slightly narrower and taller, leaving ample room for the complex right component (焦) so the character does not appear lopsided.

1. Meaning

to look at

to seeto see a doctorto visit

VerbColloquial#perception#action#medical

Sample Usage

你瞧这朵花多漂亮！
nǐ qiáo zhè duǒ huā duō piàoliang!
Look at how pretty this flower is!
我下午去瞧瞧爷爷。
wǒ xiàwǔ qù qiáojié yéye.
I'm going to visit grandpa in the afternoon.

2. Sound

/[tɕʰi̯aʊ̯³⁵]/Tone: 35

瞧

qiáoqiao2

´(35)

=qiáo

Initial Consonant

Type: Aspirated Alveolo-Palatal

Sounds like: ch sound like in cheese, but with the tongue blade flat against the hard palate

Aspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Extremely strong burst of breath! Tissue held before mouth MUST fly.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Blade of the tongue touches the back of the upper teeth ridge, releasing a strong puff of air

Final Rhyme

iao

Vowel Group: -a vowel group

Sounds like: rhymes with yow in meow

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'yow'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Abbreviated Rhyme Rule: Starts with an 'i' glide, opens to 'a', and closes with 'o'

Tone

T2 (35)

3 → 5 (35)

2nd Tone (Mid-Rising)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 starts at a mid-register and pitches up sharply to the top, matching the intonation of disbelief or surprise in English.

👂

Listening trap: Do not confuse 'qiáo' with 'qiào' (4th tone) or 'qiāo' (1st tone). Ensure the pitch curve climbs decisively upward.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Tone 2 rises from medium to high like an inquisitive question mark in English, e.g., 'What?'

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 17 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: Keep the left component (目) slightly narrower and taller, leaving ample room for the complex right component (焦) so the character does not appear lopsided.

4. Components

Radical 目 · Eye radical (eye, vision, seeing)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 目 (indicates that the action is performed with the eyes (looking, seeing))

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 焦 (original sound: jiāo)

The eye component (目) is placed on the left to indicate vision, while the phonetic component (焦) on the right provides the sound clue and hints at burning or intense focus, like staring intently.

目 eye (semantic clue for seeing)
焦焦 (phonetic clue for sound)

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

15· Phonetic Root: 焦 (jiāo)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from 目 (eye, representing vision) and 焦 (originally depicting birds on firewood, lending its sound 'jiāo' which shifted over time to 'qiáo').

Semantic Evolution: Originally related to gazing or looking with intense focus, it evolved into a common colloquial verb for looking, seeing, and visiting people.

Colloquial words like 瞧 (qiáo) became prominent in Yuan and Ming dynasty vernacular literature.

6. Sinosphere

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

With your **eye** (目) you stare so intensely at the burning **firewood** (焦) that you have to lean in close just to **take a look** (瞧).

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

焦

jiāoburnt, anxiousBase phonetic component without the eye radical.

瞧

qiáoto look atAdds the eye (目) on the left to denote vision.

蕉

jiāobananaAdds the grass radical (艹) on top for plants.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

焦(jiāo)

Lacks the eye radical (目) on the left and means burnt or anxious.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

你快来[___]看这张照片！

Clue: qiáo

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the stroke-heavy right side component (焦) with unrelated radicals, leading to incorrect proportions in handwriting.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does 瞧 mean and how is it pronounced?

Production: How do you write the colloquial verb for 'to look at' or 'to see' (qiáo)?

瞧qiáoto look at

Speed:

Searching YouTube for native pronunciation videos...

0 / 0