How to Say “Apparently / It Seems” with 看来 (kànlái)
看来 (kànlái) leads a clause with your read of a situation: “it seems / apparently.” 看来他不来了 (“seems he’s not coming”). Attribute the view to a person with 在 + person + 看来 = “the way X sees it / in X’s opinion” (在我看来, “in my opinion”). Don’t confuse it with 看起来 (kànqilai), which describes how something LOOKS.
Why this trips learners up
看来 (kànlái) is how you flag your read of a situation: “it seems,” “apparently,” “by the look of it.” It leads the clause: 看来 + [your conclusion]. 灯还亮着，看来他还没睡 (“the light’s still on, so it seems he’s not asleep yet”), 看来这家店今天不开 (“apparently this shop is shut today”). You’re drawing an inference from the evidence in front of you, and 看来 announces it. You’ll also meet it as 现在看来 (“now it seems / in hindsight”) or 这样看来 (“looked at this way”).
The second job is to pin the view to a specific person: 在 + Person + 看来 = “the way X sees it.” 在我看来 is simply “in my opinion” (a touch more formal than a bare 看来): 在我看来，兴趣比工资更重要 (“the way I see it, interest matters more than salary”), 在他看来，这只是小事 (“to his mind, it’s just a small matter”). The 在 is required, it’s 在我看来, never a bare 我看来.
Now the trap the source warns about: 看来 is not 看起来 (kànqilai). 看起来 describes how something looks and follows a subject: 他看起来很累 (“he looks tired”), 天看起来要下雨 (“the sky looks like rain”). 看来 gives your inference and leads the whole clause: 看来他很累 (“apparently he’s tired, I gather”). Your own language splits them the same way, “he looks tired” (appearance) versus “it seems he’s tired” (your read), so let that guide you: describing appearance is 看起来; drawing a conclusion is 看来.
One more near-neighbour: don’t blend 在我看来 with 对我来说. 在我看来 gives your opinion or judgment about something (“in my view”); 对我来说 means “for me / as far as I’m concerned” (how something affects or matters to you). They feel similar but do different work, so keep them apart, and never merge them into 对我看来.
The structure
Colour key
Each colour marks one grammatical role — and the same colour means the same role on every page in the Lab.
Examples in context
Real-world sentences, easiest first. Toggle pinyin or the translation, tap any word to see its role, or play the audio.
Tap a word to see its grammatical role.
dēng 灯 Subject hái liàng zhe 还亮着 Verb kànlái ，看来 Pattern tā 他 Subject hái méi shuì 还没睡 Verb
The light’s still on, so it seems he’s not asleep yet (看来 drawing an inference from evidence).
kànlái 看来 Pattern zhè jiā diàn 这家店 Subject jīntiān 今天 Time bù kāi 不开 Verb mén shàng ，门上 Place tiē zhe tōngzhī 贴着通知 Verb
Apparently this shop is shut today, there’s a notice on the door (看来 + your read of the situation).
xiànzài 现在 Time kànlái 看来 Pattern dāngchū de juédìng ，当初的决定 Subject shì duì de 是对的 Verb
In hindsight, the original decision was the right one (现在看来, “now it seems”).
nǐ 你 Subject dōu zhǔnbèi hǎo le 都准备好了 Verb zhèyàng ，这样 Other kànlái 看来 Pattern wǒmen 我们 Subject kěyǐ tíqián chūfā 可以提前出发 Verb
You’re all ready, so it seems we can set off early (这样看来, “looked at this way”).
dàjiā 大家 Subject dōu méi shuōhuà 都没说话 Verb kànlái ，看来 Pattern zhège fāng’àn 这个方案 Subject bú tài shòu huānyíng 不太受欢迎 Verb
Nobody’s saying anything, so it seems this proposal isn’t very popular (看来 inferred from the silence).
zài 在 Verb wǒ 我 Subject kànlái 看来 Pattern xìngqù ，兴趣 Subject bǐ 比 Verb gōngzī 工资 Object gèng zhòngyào 更重要 Adjective
The way I see it, interest matters more than salary (在我看来, “in my opinion”).
zài 在 Verb hěn duō niánqīngrén 很多年轻人 Subject kànlái 看来 Pattern zūfáng ，租房 Subject bǐ 比 Verb mǎifáng 买房 Object gèng zìyóu 更自由 Adjective
The way a lot of young people see it, renting is freer than buying (在 + group + 看来).
zhè jiàn shì 这件事 Subject zài 在 Verb tā 他 Subject kànlái 看来 Pattern zhǐshì xiǎoshì 只是小事 Verb zài ，在 Verb wǒ 我 Subject kànlái 看来 Pattern què hěn yánzhòng 却很严重 Adjective
The way he sees it this is just a small matter, but to my mind it’s quite serious (two contrasting 在X看来 viewpoints).
Common mistakes
Why it happens: To describe how someone LOOKS, use 看起来 after the subject: 他看起来很累 (“he looks tired”). 看来 isn’t an appearance verb; it leads the clause with your inference: 看来他很累 (“apparently he’s tired”).
Why it happens: The perspective frame is 在 + person + 看来 (在我看来, “in my opinion”). Drop the 在 and 我看来 is ungrammatical. A bare 看来 already means “it seems”; to pin it to a person you need the 在…看来 wrapper.
Why it happens: The opinion frame is 在…看来 (with 在), not 对…看来. Don’t blend it with 对…来说: it’s 在我看来 (“in my view”) or 对我来说 (“for me”), never 对我看来.
Compare & contrast
| 看来 (your inference: “it seems / apparently”) | 看起来 (appearance: “it looks like”) | The difference |
|---|---|---|
| 看来他很累。kànlái tā hěn lèi = “apparently he’s tired” (your inference) | 他看起来很累。tā kànqilai hěn lèi = “he looks tired” (his appearance) | 看来他很累 is your inference, “apparently he’s tired” (you’re reading the situation). 他看起来很累 describes his appearance, “he looks tired.” One leads the clause, the other follows the subject. |
| 看来要下雨了。kànlái yào xià yǔ le = “seems it’s going to rain” (a conclusion) | 天看起来要下雨。tiān kànqilai yào xià yǔ = “the sky looks like rain” (appearance) | 看来要下雨了 = “seems it’s going to rain” (a conclusion). 天看起来要下雨 = “the sky looks like rain” (how it appears). Inference versus appearance. |
Try it yourself
Say “It seems he’s already left.” Lead with 看来: 看来他已经走了。
Related patterns
Quick reference card
How to Say “Apparently / It Seems” with 看来 (kànlái) grammar.merrymandarin.com A pocket summary — print it and keep it by your desk.