eye, class, look, insight, experience, care, favor
目 centers on the eye as the organ of sight, and by extension the act of looking, gaining insight, or showing care through attention. The 'class' and 'favor' senses are less direct but can be seen as categorizing by observation or bestowing a favorable look.
eye; eyeball
no good; not serving its purpose; useless; broken
purpose; goal; aim; objective; intention; motive
goal; target; aim; objective
notice; attention; observation
to aim at (for, to do, to become); to try for; to have an eye on
appearance; look
serious; earnest; sober; grave
to be conspicuous; to stand out
item; heading; category; clause
to wake up; to awake
witnessing; observing; sighting
panel; wainscoting; wainscotting
mark; guide; landmark
(school) subject; curriculum; course
glance; look; glimpse
duty; role; function
Meguro City (special ward of Tokyo)
name; title; appellation; (something) nominal
eyeball
item; event
criterion; standard; yardstick; reference; aim
disorderly; messy; ruined
before one's very eyes; under one's nose; imminence; close at hand
目 is a pictograph of an eye, turned on its side in the modern form. The outer rectangle represents the eye socket, and the inner strokes the iris and pupil.
The outer box is the eye socket, and the two inner horizontal lines are the iris and pupil. Turn it sideways and you see an eye looking at you.
For モク, imagine a monk meditating with eyes closed, then opening them to gain insight: monk -> モク, and the monk's eyes see clearly.