眼
eyeball
Readings
On'yomi
- ガン
- ゲン
Kun'yomi
- まなこ
- め
Meaning
眼 centers on the physical eyeball, the organ of sight. It is the concrete, anatomical eye rather than abstract vision or viewpoint.
Most common words using 眼
20 of 269- 眼まなこ
eye; eyeball
- 眼鏡めがねN5
glasses; eyeglasses; spectacles
- 眼科がんかN1
ophthalmology
- 眼球がんきゅうN1
eyeball
- 眼差しまなざしN1
(a) look; gaze
- 一眼いちがん
one eye
- 肉眼にくがんN1
naked eye
- 眼帯がんたい
eyepatch; eye bandage
- 双眼鏡そうがんきょう
binoculars; field glasses
- 眼中がんちゅう
(one's) consideration; (taking) notice; interest; attention
- 主眼しゅがん
main purpose; chief aim; focus
- 開眼かいがん
enlightenment; spiritual awakening; opening one's eyes to the truth
- 老眼ろうがんN1
presbyopia; age-related longsightedness; farsightedness
- 着眼ちゃくがん
focusing on; paying attention to
- 眼前がんぜん
before one's eyes
- 裸眼らがん
bare eyes (i.e. without glasses, contact lenses, etc.); uncorrected vision; unaided vision
- 単眼たんがん
single eye; one eye; single lens
- 千里眼せんりがん
clairvoyance; second sight
- 双眼そうがん
both eyes; binocular
- 眼光がんこう
sparkle of one's eyes
Study
Etymology
眼 combines 目 (eye) with 艮, which likely contributes the sound. The character specifically denotes the eyeball.
Meaning mnemonic
The left side 目 is an eye, and the right side 艮 looks like a round object with a pupil-like dot. Together they form the eyeball.
Reading mnemonic
For ガン, imagine a gun pointed at an eyeball: gun -> ガン, and the eye is the target.