hinschauen
to look
To deliberately direct your gaze at something or in a particular direction.
EXAMPLE
Schau mal da hin, ein Regenbogen!
Look over there, a rainbow!
hinschauen
to look / to look closely
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Meanings
hinschauen
to look closely
To deal with an unpleasant or difficult situation and not ignore it.
EXAMPLE
Bei Ungerechtigkeit dürfen wir nicht wegsehen, wir müssen genau hinschauen.
When there is injustice, we must not look away; we have to look closely.
Usage tips
Separable verb
'Hinschauen' (to look / to look closely) is a separable verb. The prefix 'hin' comes at the end in a main clause. In a subordinate clause and in the infinitive, the verb stays together.
EXAMPLE
Er schaut genau hin, um keinen Fehler zu machen.
He looks closely so as not to make a mistake.
Context clue
The verb has a literal and a figurative meaning. Literally, it means to direct your gaze at something. Figuratively, it means to engage with a difficult topic and not ignore it.
EXAMPLE
Du musst genau auf die Straße hinschauen.
You have to look carefully at the road.
Typical collocations
In the figurative meaning, 'hinschauen' is often used with abstract nouns that describe a problem, for example 'bei Ungerechtigkeit' (in cases of injustice), 'bei Gewalt' (in cases of violence), or 'bei Problemen' (when there are problems).
EXAMPLE
Wir müssen bei der Umweltzerstörung endlich genau hinschauen.
We finally have to look closely at environmental destruction.
Compare with
hinschauen vs ansehen
to look at / to watch
„Ansehen“ and „hinschauen“ can both refer to consciously looking at something. „Ansehen“ usually highlights the specific object being viewed, while „hinschauen“ more strongly emphasizes deliberately directing your gaze toward it. Use „ansehen“ for the thing being viewed and „hinschauen“ for the act of looking.
hinschauen
Sie schaute bei dem verdächtigen Fleck auf der Wand genau hin.
She looked closely at the suspicious spot on the wall.
ansehen
Sie sah sich den verdächtigen Fleck auf der Wand genau an.
She took a close look at the suspicious spot on the wall.
In real life
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