目 | Chapter 01, Kanji 21

Kanji 21 / 30 in this chapter

目

EYE ・ ITEM

Mnemonic

Remember the rule: circular shapes are almost always drawn as squares in kanji. So instead of a circle inside a circle (👁), we get a square inside a square—an EYE. Make out the outline with a pupil inside.
And since an eye picks out things one by one, the same shape can also mean an ITEM—a “thing we eye.”

Ken’s eye shown up close, stylized like the kanji 目 with a horizontal line across the middle.
Ken’s eye — with a pupil in the middle, just like 目.

Example Vocabulary

  • – a glance
    Click to recall: 一 =
  • – public gaze; other people’s eyes
    Click to recall: 人 =
  • – to come into view; to catch one’s eye
    Click to recall: 入 =
  • – wood grain
    Click to recall: 木 =
  • – a sighted person (as opposed to a blind person)
    Click to recall: 明 =

Eyes and attention
With 目, it’s all about seeing and being seen. A quick glance (一目) can change how you notice something, while living under the gaze of others (人目) reminds us we’re always part of a social world. Sometimes things catch your eye unexpectedly (目に入る), such as the beautiful textures in wood grain (木目). 目 ties it all together—showing us that attention, whether outward or inward, is at the heart of how this kanji works.

Example Sentences

  • えきでせんせいのすがたが目に入りました。– At the station, the teacher suddenly came into view.
  • ふるいかぐの木目はとてもうつくしいです。– The wood grain of the old furniture is very beautiful.
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