noun
Sino-Japanese word for 'eye', used in formal, medical, or literary contexts. In everyday speech, 目 (め) is more common.
眼科で眼の検査を受けた。
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).
彼は美術品を見る眼が確かだ。
He has a discerning eye for art.
noun
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.
「眼目」という言葉で、物事の要点を指すことがある。
The word 眼目 can refer to the main point of a matter.
「針
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.
この石の集まりは眼が二つあるから生きている。
This group of stones has two eyes, so it is alive.
針眼 is an old expression meaning the eye of a needle.
Sino-Japanese reading of the kanji 眼, from Middle Chinese. The character originally depicted an eye and has been used in compounds with meanings related to sight, perception, and small openings.