Keyword
observe
Info
FrequencyTop 500-600
Type
Kyōiku (4th grade) 
?
Shinjitai ?
KankenLevel 7
Heisig614
Old form
Readings
かん
(91%)
(8%)
Composed of
cow head
one
old bird
see
Mnemonic

In the background we can see a cow's head, and in the foreground we can see an old bird taunting the cow. "You stupid cow! Come and get me!" says the bird. Fortunately it's separated from the cow by a fence singified by the one wooden plank between them, so the cow can't really do anything to the bird. The moment you see this peculiar situation you immediately stop and observe.

Used in vocabulary (335 in total)
observation; survey; watching
idea; notion; sense (e.g. of duty); resignation; preparedness; observation and contemplation
to see; to look; to examine; to look over; to look after; to attend to; to experience
audience; spectator; spectators
sense of values; values; value system
sightseeing; tourism
observation; survey; measurement; opinion; prediction; thinking
point of view
outward appearance; exterior appearance; outward show; looks
watching a (sports) game; spectating; observing (military operations)
world view; outlook on the world; Weltanschauung (philosophy); appearance of a world (e.g. in fiction)
audience seating; (spectator) stands; auditorium; stadium
look; appearance; spectacle; sight; observation meditation; outlook on ...
subjectivity; subject (philosophical); ego; one's personal opinion; one's own idea
optimistic; hopeful
looking on; remaining a spectator
preconception; preconceived notion; prejudice
watchful waiting; careful supervision
spectators; onlookers; members of the audience
pessimism; disappointment
tourist attraction; sight-seeing area
magnificent spectacle; thrilling sight; grand view
taking a philosophic view; looking at the long term; farsightedness
onlooker; bystander
clear insight; resignation (to one's fate); acceptance
admiration; appreciation; enjoyment; viewing (for pleasure)
optimism; taking an optimistic view
ethics; ethical viewpoint; moral value; sense of duty; sense of ethics
pessimistic; gloomy
ornamental (foliage) plant; houseplant
Avalokiteshvara (Bodhisattva); Avalokitesvara; Kannon; Kwannon; Guanyin; Buddhist deity of compassion
sightseeing spot; tourist attraction
powers of observation
intuition; instinct; insight; hunch; immediacy
viewing optimistically; thinking optimistically; taking an optimistic view; looking on the bright side
theatre-going; theater-going
obsession; unreasonable but compulsive idea
parents' day (day when parents observe their children in school)
astronomical observation; stargazing
seat; seats; stands; grandstand; bleachers
fixed idea; idée fixe; stereotype; prejudice
objectivity; objective; object (philosophical)
conceptual; ideational; notional; theoretical; academic
double doors opening from the centre; double-opening from the centre (e.g. doors, casement windows, etc.); method of filleting fish, chicken, etc. with a central cut and peeling back the flesh
tourist attraction; sight-seeing area
objective point of view
tourist information (brochure, map, center)
(medical) follow-up; observation
Avalokiteshvara (Bodhisattva); Avalokitesvara; Kannon; clitoris
visit; inspection
one's view on love; one's philosophy of love
fine view; beautiful sight
one's opinion on (life and) death
crowd (e.g. of spectators); huge audience
temple dedicated to Kannon
to view; to contemplate
(nature, etc.) observation diary
observatory; observation post
parents' observation day (at school); parents' visiting day; open day
tourist bus; sightseeing bus
thousand-armed Avalokiteshvara; thousand-armed Kannon
tourist trade; travel industry; tourist business; tourist enterprise
meditation; contemplation
general view; outline
see; inspect; visit
wonderful sight
tourism association; tourist association; tourism bureau
sense of morality; moral sense
moon viewing (esp. during the eight month of the lunar calendar)
travel guide (book); tourist guide
broad overview; general survey
historical materialism
historical viewpoint
monitoring equipment; observational instrument
historical view; view of history (from a given point of view)
spectator; visitor
view of marriage; outlook on marriage; attitude towards marriage
Avalokiteshvara (Bodhisattva); Avalokitesvara; Kannon; Kwannon; Guanyin; Buddhist deity of compassion
observation equipment
introspection; view from the inside; interior appearance; implication
Avalokiteshvara (Bodhisattva); Avalokitesvara; Kannon; Kwannon; Guanyin; Buddhist deity of compassion
meditation; contemplation
tourism industry; tourist industry
physiognomy
without an audience; crowdless; behind closed doors
one's outlook on the universe
sense of the vanity of life; perception of the evanescence of life
magnificent sight
tourist information center; tourist information centre
observation; watching (developments); looking out (into the distance)
Kannon (Bodhisattva); Kwannon; Goddess of Mercy; Bodhisattva of Compassion; Guan Yin; Kuan Yin
pessimistic view of life; pessimism
one's view (opinion) of women
military review; (military) parade
eleven-faced Avalokiteshvara; eleven-faced Kannon
perspective on nature
(national) tourist bureau
double doors opening from the centre
broad view; big picture; wide perspective
Jōgan era (859.4.15-877.4.16)
grand spectacle
Hayagriva (manifestation of Avalokitesvara with an ornament in the shape of a horse's head)
Avalokiteshvara (Bodhisattva); Avalokitesvara; Kannon; Kwannon; Guanyin; Buddhist deity of compassion
observation point (site)
Aryavalokitesvara (manifestation of Avalokitesvara)
objectivization; viewing objectively
aquarium fish; ornamental fish
fixed point observation
calm abiding and clear observation (Tendai meditation); Tendai
Avalokitesvara Sutra; Kannon Sutra
general survey
Eikan era (983.4.15-985.4.27)
observation network
intuitionism; intuitionalism
account of a (sports) game
admission fee or charge
introspection
weather balloon; sounding balloon; observation balloon; espionage balloon; trial balloon
Ministry of Tourism (Brazil, India, New Zealand, etc.); Department of Tourism (South Africa, Philippines, etc.)
Amoghapasa (manifestation of Kannon)
method of contemplation
silent reading of sutra; Amitayurdhyana Sutra
Cintamani-cakra (manifestation of Avalokitesvara)
contemplative; meditative; meditational
ideation; process of forming and relating ideas; to ideate
observer; spectator
one's view (opinion) of men
aim to make a country a travel destination
hands-off; indifferent; spectatorial
cherry blossom viewing party
military review; (military) parade
cherry blossom viewing
probation office; probation facility
viewing something in the company of one's superior
maple-leaf viewing
one's opinion on life and death; life-and-death issue (e.g. in religion)
contemplation of phenomena
tide watching (esp. in the Naruto Strait); watching the tide
insight; penetration
association (e.g. of two concepts)
Jōgan period (of art history, 859-877 CE)
optimistic view of life; optimism
Avalokiteshvara (Bodhisattva); Avalokitesvara; Kannon; clitoris
inspection (of troops)
to view; to contemplate
plum blossom viewing
Maria Kannon; statue of the Virgin Mary disguised as a Buddhist Kannon statue, used by hidden Christians during the Edo period
Short-Term Economic Survey of Enterprises in Japan (Bank of Japan's quarterly economic survey); Tankan survey
Cundi (manifestation of Avalokitesvara)
(one's) view on work; (one's) opinion on work-life balance
Kanze style (noh); Kanze school of noh
innate idea; innate ideas
inspection visit
one's views on the family; family values
(the art of) physiognomy
former state; former appearance
visitor (to an exhibit)
(meterological) observation
phrenology; physiognomy
cityscape; urban landscape
theater party; theatre party
viewing all things as undifferentiated and equal; non-discriminative thought; contemplation of the equality of all things from the standpoint of emptiness
fixed idea; idée fixe; obsession; fixation
Avalokiteshvara (Bodhisattva); Avalokitesvara; Kannon; Kwannon; Guanyin; Buddhist deity of compassion
the seven forms of Avalokitesvara; the seven Avalokitesvaras of Kyoto
predicting the weather from the wind direction, shape of clouds, etc.
Taoist temple
Kannō era (of the Northern Court) (1350.2.27-1352.9.27); Kan'ō era
to view (cherry) blossoms; to look at flowers
the Six Forms of Avalokitesvara (one for each of the six realms)
overlooking; turning a blind eye
Tieguanyin (variety of oolong tea)
waterfall viewing
Short-Term Economic Survey of Enterprises in Japan (Bank of Japan's quarterly economic survey); Tankan survey
viewing noh; seeing a noh play; going to a noh theater
guardian Avalokitesvara of children and childbirth (bodhisattva)
traditional inn in a popular tourist area
placing a minor under protective detention; imposing a care and custody order
looking on with folded arms (with one's hands in one's sleeves); remaining a passive onlooker
tourist bar; gay bar catering mainly to straight people
chrysanthemum viewing
crowdless game; game behind closed doors
emperor-centered historiography (of Japan)
Aryavalokitesvara (manifestation of Avalokitesvara)
Ekadasamukha (eleven-faced Avalokitesvara)
Aryavalokitesvara (manifestation of Avalokitesvara)
article containing thoughts and observations on a topic; op-ed article; opinion piece
Sanriku earthquake of 869 CE
earth observation (satellite, platform, etc.)
natural landscape; natural scenery
minding; watching; looking out; guarding
Short-Term Economic Survey of Enterprises in Japan (Bank of Japan's quarterly economic survey); Tankan survey
masochistic view of history; self-tormenting historical view
oceanographic observation
pavilion housing the empress's reception hall (in the inner Heian Palace)
the right to a view
making a prefecture a travel destination; tourism-promoting prefecture
to change one's point of view
simultaneous contemplation of the threefold truth (form of Tendai meditation)
taking a philosophic view; looking at the long term; farsightedness
highlight; best part; stunning; incredible; superb
ornamental (foliage) plant; houseplant
overlooking; looking down at; having an overhead view; having a bird's-eye view; having a high-angle view
Aryavalokitesvara (manifestation of Avalokitesvara)
Cundi (manifestation of Avalokitesvara)
get-together to enjoy the autumn foliage
Minister for Culture and Tourism
the orientation of time and place; awareness of the existing situation
Naikan therapy (type of group psychotherapy)
to observe the reasons and types of faults a person makes is to come to know whether they are virtuous or not
Kōnin-Jōgan period (of Japanese art history, approx. 794-894 CE)
innate idea; innate ideas
acquired idea (as opposed to innate); acquired ideas
contemplating Buddha
Samantabhadra Contemplation Sutra
moon-viewing party
point of control and observation; PCO
anthropomorphism
small garden best enjoyed while sitting at a fixed viewing point
seismic network; seismic array
watching over
contemplation (on Amida Buddha, the Pure Land, etc.)
anticipation of a fall (in prices); prediction of a price drop
Global Earth Observation System of Systems; GEOSS
observation; looking out (into the distance)
negative impacts of overtourism
specified complex tourist facilities area; area approved for containing integrated resorts with casinos
exhibition hall for promoting tourism and local products
medical observation (esp. of emerging diseases by the Chinese authorities)
self-congratulatory historical view; uncritical view of (Japanese) history
Kannon of Great Mercy (alt. name for Avalokiteshvara); Greatly Compassionate Kannon; Daihi Kannon
one's views on occupations (careers, jobs, etc.)
Examples (200 in total)
He is accurate in his observation.
He picked up a mirror and examined his tongue.
The doctor continued to observe the patient's behavior.