眼がん

noun

eye

Sino-Japanese word for 'eye', used in formal, medical, or literary contexts. In everyday speech, 目 (め) is more common.

• 眼がん科かで眼がんの検けん査さを受うけた。

  I had an eye examination at the ophthalmologist.

noun

insight; vision; power of observation

Metaphorical use: keen perception or discernment. Often appears in compounds like 眼識 (がんしき) or 心眼 (しんがん).

• 彼かれは美び術じゅつ品ひんを見みる眼がんが確たしかだ。

  He has a discerning eye for art.

noun

gist; main point; hole

Rare extended uses: 'gist' or 'main point' (as in 眼目 がんもく), and 'hole' (as in 針眼 はりめど). Not productive in modern Japanese outside fixed compounds.

• 「眼がん目もく」という言こと葉ばで、物もの事ごとの要よう点てんを指さすことがある。

  The word 眼目 can refer to the main point of a matter.

• 「針はり眼がん」は針はりの穴あなを意い味みする古ふるい表ひょう現げんだ。

  針眼 is an old expression meaning the eye of a needle.

counter

counter for eyes of a group of stones (go)

Technical counter in the game of Go, used to count the number of eyes (independent liberties) of a group of stones.

• この石いしの集あつまりは眼がんが二ふたつあるから生いきている。

  This group of stones has two eyes, so it is alive.