eye

Origin & mnemonic

The eye radical originates from a pictograph depicting a human eye, with two horizontal strokes representing the eyelids and a vertical stroke in the middle representing the pupil. This form appears early in oracle-bone and seal script.

Mnemonic: The glyph resembles an actual eye with horizontal strokes like eyelids and a vertical stroke like the pupil—a direct visual memory hook.

• 目mù🔊

  eye

  5 strokes

• 盯dīng🔊

  to watch attentively

  HSK 7

  7 strokes

• 直zhí🔊

  straight

  HSK 3

  8 strokes

• 盲máng🔊

  blind

  8 strokes

• 盱xū🔊

  anxious

  8 strokes

• 盵Qì🔊

  surname Qi

  8 strokes

• 看kàn🔊

  to see; to look at

  HSK 1

  9 strokes

• 盾dùn🔊

  shield (CL:面[mian4])

  9 strokes

• 相xiāng🔊

  each other

  9 strokes

• 省shěng🔊

  to save; to economize; to be frugal

  HSK 2

  9 strokes

• 盼pàn🔊

  to hope for

  HSK 7

  9 strokes

• 眨zhǎ🔊

  to blink

  9 strokes

• 盹dǔn🔊

  doze

  9 strokes

• 眈dān🔊

  used in 眈眈[dan1 dan1]

  9 strokes

• 眉méi🔊

  eyebrow

  9 strokes

• 盻xì🔊

  to glare at

  9 strokes

• 眂shì🔊

  old variant of 視|视[shi4]

  9 strokes

• 眄miàn🔊

  to look askance at

  9 strokes

• 眅pān🔊

  show the whites of eyes

  9 strokes

• 眇miǎo🔊

  blind in one eye

  9 strokes

• 眊mào🔊

  having poor eyesight

  9 strokes

• 眍kōu🔊

  to sink in (of eyes)

  9 strokes

• 𪾢xiàn🔊

  goggle-eyed

  9 strokes

• 真zhēn🔊

  really

  HSK 1

  10 strokes

• 眕zhěn🔊

  to restrain anger

  10 strokes

• 眠mián🔊

  to sleep

  10 strokes

• 眑yǎo🔊

  sunken eyes

  10 strokes

• 眙yí🔊

  used in 盱眙[Xu1 yi2] (the name of place in Jiangsu)

  10 strokes

• 眚shěng🔊

  cataract of the eye

  10 strokes

• 眛mèi🔊

  blind

  10 strokes

• 眞zhēn🔊

  variant of 真[zhen1]

  10 strokes

• 眢yuān🔊

  inflamed eyelids

  10 strokes

• 眣dié🔊

  prominent eyes

  10 strokes

• 眩xuàn🔊

  (literary) dizzy

  10 strokes

• 眬lóng🔊

  used in 矇矓|蒙眬[meng2 long2]

  10 strokes

• 着zhe🔊

  variant of 著|着[zhe5]

  HSK 1

  11 strokes

• 眼yǎn🔊

  eye (CL:隻|只[zhi1],雙|双[shuang1])

  HSK 2

  11 strokes

• 睁zhēng🔊

  to open (one's eyes)

  HSK 7

  11 strokes

• 眶kuàng🔊

  (bound form) eye socket

  11 strokes

• 众zhòng🔊

  variant of 眾|众[zhong4]

  11 strokes

• 眭suī🔊

  to have a deep or piercing gaze

  11 strokes

• 眳míng🔊

  space between the eyebrows and the eyelashes

  11 strokes

• 眯mī🔊

  to narrow one's eyes

  11 strokes

• 眦zì🔊

  (anatomy) corner of the eye; canthus

  11 strokes

• 眰dié🔊

  old variant of 眣[die2]

  11 strokes

• 眴xuàn🔊

  dazzled

  11 strokes

• 眵chī🔊

  (bound form) sleep (dried mucus in the corner of the eye)

  11 strokes

• 眷juàn🔊

  (literary) to regard with love and affection; to feel concern for (variant of 眷[juan4])

  11 strokes