眤
glance at, gaze at
Strokes10
Readings
On'yomi
- ケイ
- ダイ
Kun'yomi
- てい
- い
Meaning
眤 centers on directing one's eyes toward something: glancing at or gazing at. The two given meanings are closely related, differing mainly in duration or intensity of looking.
Study
Etymology
眤 combines 目 (eye) with 尼, which likely contributes the sound. The exact historical development is uncertain, but the structure suggests a phono-semantic compound where the eye component indicates looking.
Meaning mnemonic
The left side is an eye 目, and the right side 尼 looks a bit like a person sitting under a roof. Imagine resting your eyes on someone sitting nearby: you glance at them, then gaze.
Reading mnemonic
For ケイ, picture glancing at a cake (ケーキ) and gazing at it longingly: cake -> ケイ, and your eyes are fixed on it.