How to Say “Looks” and “Looks Like” with 看起来 (kànqǐlái)
看起来 (kànqǐlái) means “looks / seems,” the everyday way to describe how something appears. For a quality, use 看起来 + Adjective: 蛋糕看起来很好吃 (“the cake looks tasty”), 你看起来很累 (“you look tired”). For a resemblance, add 像: 看起来 + 像 + Noun, as in 你妈妈看起来像你姐姐 (“your mum looks like your older sister”). The key rule: an adjective follows 看起来 directly, but a noun needs 像.
Why this trips learners up
看起来 (kànqǐlái) is the most common way to say how something “looks” or “seems.” It's built from 看 (“look”) plus the directional complement 起来, and it's settled into a fixed appraisal phrase. Its first and most common use is a judgement: Subject + 看起来 + Adjective. 蛋糕看起来很好吃 (“the cake looks tasty”), 这家餐厅看起来不错 (“this restaurant looks good”), 你今天看起来很累 (“you look tired today”).
It behaves like any adjective predicate: it takes the usual degree adverbs, 很, 有点, 非常, and negates inside the phrase, 老板看起来有点不高兴 (“the boss looks a bit unhappy”). Don't reach for 是 here, “the cake looks tasty” is 蛋糕看起来很好吃, not 蛋糕看起来是好吃, just as you wouldn't say 蛋糕是好吃.
The second use is an analogy, saying what something looks like. For this you add 像 (xiàng, “resemble”): Subject + 看起来 + 像 + Noun Phrase. 你妈妈看起来像你姐姐 (“your mum looks like your older sister”), 你们俩看起来像情侣 (“you two look like a couple”). The 像 can even stretch to a small clause for “looks like it's about to…”: 天阴了，看起来像要下雨了 (“it's clouded over, looks like it's going to rain”).
The one rule that ties it together, and that learners trip on: an adjective follows 看起来 directly, but a noun needs 像 in between. So it's 看起来很好吃 (adjective, no 像) but 看起来像情侣 (noun, with 像). Putting 像 before an adjective (看起来像很好吃) is wrong, and dropping it before a noun (看起来你姐姐) is wrong too. For the analogy, negation sits before 像: 他们看起来不像有钱人 (“they don't look like rich people”).
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.
dàngāo 蛋糕 Subject kànqǐlái 看起来 Pattern hěn 很 Adverb hǎochī 好吃 Adjective
The cake looks really tasty (看起来 + adjective).
zhè jiā cāntīng 这家餐厅 Subject kànqǐlái 看起来 Pattern bùcuò 不错 Adjective
This restaurant looks good (不错 needs no 很).
nǐmen liǎ 你们俩 Subject kànqǐlái 看起来 Pattern xiàng 像 Verb qínglǚ 情侣 Object
You two look like a couple (看起来像 + noun).
lǎobǎn 老板 Subject kànqǐlái 看起来 Pattern yǒudiǎn 有点 Adverb bù 不 Negation gāoxìng 高兴 Adjective
The boss looks a little unhappy (有点 + 不 inside the phrase).
nǐ 你 Subject jīntiān 今天 Time kànqǐlái 看起来 Pattern hěn 很 Adverb lèi 累 Adjective
You look really tired today (the classic “looks tired”).
nǐ māma 你妈妈 Subject kànqǐlái 看起来 Pattern xiàng 像 Verb nǐ jiějie 你姐姐 Object
Your mum looks like your older sister (看起来像 + person).
tāmen 他们 Subject kànqǐlái 看起来 Pattern bù 不 Negation xiàng 像 Verb yǒuqián rén 有钱人 Object
They don't look like rich people (negation before 像).
tiān yīn le 天阴了 Other kànqǐlái ，看起来 Pattern xiàng 像 Verb yào xià yǔ le 要下雨了 Other
It's clouded over, looks like it's going to rain (像 + a clause).
Common mistakes
Why it happens: For “looks like + a noun,” you need 像. “Your mum looks like your older sister” is 你妈妈看起来像你姐姐, not 你妈妈看起来你姐姐; without 像 there's nothing to link 看起来 to the noun. A noun after 看起来 always needs 像.
Why it happens: An adjective follows 看起来 directly, with no 像. “The cake looks tasty” is 蛋糕看起来很好吃, not 蛋糕看起来像很好吃. Use 像 only before a noun (看起来像情侣); before an adjective, just add the degree adverb (看起来很好吃).
Why it happens: Negation goes inside the phrase, not on 看起来 itself. “They don't look like rich people” is 他们看起来不像有钱人, not 他们不看起来像有钱人. Put 不 before the adjective (看起来不高兴) or before 像 (看起来不像), never before 看起来.
Compare & contrast
| 看起来 + adjective: a quality (how it looks) | 看起来像 + noun: a resemblance (what it looks like) | The difference |
|---|---|---|
| 她看起来很年轻tā kànqǐlái hěn niánqīng = “she looks very young” (a quality) | 她看起来像你姐姐tā kànqǐlái xiàng nǐ jiějie = “she looks like your sister” (a resemblance) | 她看起来很年轻 = “she looks very young,” 看起来 + an adjective describing a quality (no 像). 她看起来像你姐姐 = “she looks like your sister,” 看起来 + 像 + a noun naming what she resembles. Adjective direct; noun with 像. |
| 这个看起来不错zhège kànqǐlái bùcuò = “this looks good” | 这个看起来像玩具zhège kànqǐlái xiàng wánjù = “this looks like a toy” | 这个看起来不错 = “this looks good” (a quality, adjective). 这个看起来像玩具 = “this looks like a toy” (a resemblance, noun with 像). The ending decides whether you need 像. |
Try it yourself
Say “You look really tired today.” Use 看起来 + a degree adverb + the adjective.
Related patterns
Quick reference card
How to Say “Looks” and “Looks Like” with 看起来 (kànqǐlái) grammar.merrymandarin.com A pocket summary — print it and keep it by your desk.