目

Eye Component (目)

mù · 5 strokes

The eye component (目) is a frequently seen component in Chinese characters. In Chinese, components serve different roles: semantic elements contribute meaning, phonetic elements suggest pronunciation, and structural elements provide the character's framework. It primarily serves as a semantic element, contributing meaning related to eye and associated concepts to the characters where it appears. It typically appears on the left side of a character. 38 characters: 2 in HSK 1, 4 in HSK 2, 3 in HSK 3, 2 in HSK 4, 2 in HSK 5, 7 in HSK 6, 18 in HSK 7-9. Components are identified through character decomposition analysis.

Radical vs. Component: 目 is also a Kangxi radical (eye). As a radical, it classifies characters in dictionaries. As a component, it appears as a building block contributing meaning, sound, or structure. For radical-specific details, see the Eye Radical (目) page.

Eye Component at a Glance

Stroke Count5
Total Characters38
Primary RoleSemantic (meaning)
Typical Positionleft side
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 7-9 (18 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes12
Also a Kangxi Radical?Yes — view radical page

All Eye Component Characters

HSK 1 (2 characters)

看kànto look, to see睡shuìto sleep

HSK 2 (4 characters)

眼yǎneye着zhe-ing, to wear睛jīngeyeball自zì(bound form) self

HSK 3 (3 characters)

相xiāngmutual, appearance直zhíZhi (c. 2000 BC), fifth of the legendary Flame Emperors 炎帝 descended from Shennong 神農|神农 Farmer God冒màoto emit

HSK 4 (2 characters)

省shěngprovince, to save具jùtool

HSK 5 (2 characters)

泪lèi(bound form) tears眠miánto sleep

HSK 6 (7 characters)

盼pànto hope for瞧qiáoto look at瞬shùnmoment盲mángblind督dū(bound form) to supervise眉méieyebrow睁zhēngto open (one's eyes)

HSK 7-9 (18 characters)

盯dīngto stare at眨zhǎto blink瞎xiāblind瞒mánto conceal瞪dèngto stare瞩zhǔto focus on睦mùharmonious盹dǔndoze睬cǎito pay attention瞅chǒu(dialect) to look at鼎dǐngancient cooking cauldron with two looped handles and three or four legs睹dǔto observe瞄miáoto take aim瞻zhānto gaze眯míto blind (as with dust)眶kuàng(bound form) eye socket眺tiàoto gaze into the distance睐làito glance

Frequently Asked Questions

What characters contain the eye component (目)?
There are 38 characters containing the eye component (目) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 2 in HSK 1, 4 in HSK 2, 3 in HSK 3, 2 in HSK 4, 2 in HSK 5, 7 in HSK 6, 18 in HSK 7-9. The most frequently used include 着 (zhe, "-ing, to wear"), 自 (zì, "(bound form) self"), 看 (kàn, "to look, to see"), 相 (xiāng, "mutual, appearance"), 直 (zhí, "Zhi (c. 2000 BC), fifth of the legendary Flame Emperors 炎帝 descended from Shennong 神農|神农 Farmer God"). Components are identified through character decomposition analysis.
Is 目 a radical or a component?
目 is both. As a Kangxi radical, 目 (eye) is part of the traditional system of 214 radicals used to classify Chinese characters in dictionaries. As a component, 目 is a building block that contributes meaning, sound, or structure to compound characters. When a character "has the eye radical," it means 目 is the character's primary classifier. When a character "contains the eye component," it means 目 appears in the character's decomposition, regardless of whether it serves as the primary radical.
Where does 目 appear in a character?
The eye component (目) most commonly appears on the left side of a character. Full position breakdown: left side (25 characters), bottom (5 characters), inner (enclosed) part (3 characters), right side (2 characters), middle (1 characters), base (1 characters), top (1 characters). Knowing where a component typically sits helps with character recognition — when you see 目 in its usual position, you can quickly identify it and infer the character's meaning or pronunciation.
What HSK levels include eye component characters?
Characters containing the eye component (目) appear across 7 HSK levels: 2 in HSK 1, 4 in HSK 2, 3 in HSK 3, 2 in HSK 4, 2 in HSK 5, 7 in HSK 6, 18 in HSK 7-9. The largest concentration is at HSK 7-9 with 18 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common eye-related characters, while advanced levels add specialized or literary terms.

Sources & Standards

Components are identified through structural decomposition analysis of characters in the HSK 3.0 Standard (《国际中文教育中文水平等级标准》), published by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC), Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, 2022 revision. Radical classifications follow the Kangxi radical system (康熙部首).