Kanji 目 — "Eye"
Here is what 目 means, how it is read, what it is built from, and a story that makes "Eye" stick.
How it is read
もく, ぼく
the reading borrowed from Chinese — usually appears in compound words
め, -め, ま-
the native Japanese reading — usually appears when the kanji stands alone
How to remember it
Kanji are not random strokes. Learn the parts and the whole becomes easy. Put the parts together into one picture. The stranger it is, the harder it is to forget.
And Eye is no different — kanji and component match perfectly!
- 目 Eye
This component is an Eye in vertical orientation instead of horizontal. The whites are on top and bottom, and the pupil is in the middle.
Words that use 目
12 of 41 words in the app that contain this kanji — the most common ones first.
- 目 め eye
- 見た目 みため outward appearance, looks, what you see
- 目的 もくてき purpose, goal, aim
- 目指す めざす to aim at, to have an eye on (v.t.)
- 真面目 まじめ serious, honest, diligent
- 目立つ めだつ to be conspicuous, to stand out
- 目標 もくひょう mark, objective, target
- 注目 ちゅうもく notice, attention, observation
- 人目 ひとめ glimpse, public gaze
- 役目 やくめ duty, business
- 目覚める めざめる to wake up
- 一目 いちもく a glance, a look, a glimpse
Want 目 to still be there next month?
Reading it once is not remembering it. The app brings each kanji back right before you would have forgotten it.
