目

Eye Radical (目)

mù · 5 strokes

The eye radical (目) is a frequently seen radical in Chinese. It appears in 38 characters related to eye and associated concepts. 38 characters: 4 in HSK 1, 3 in HSK 2, 3 in HSK 3, 1 in HSK 4, 2 in HSK 5, 7 in HSK 6, 18 in HSK 7-9. Radical classifications follow the Kangxi radical system. Character data is based on the HSK 3.0 Standard (CLEC 2022 syllabus).

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

Eye Radical at a Glance

Stroke Count5
Total Characters38
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 7-9 (18 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes12
ClassificationKangxi Radicals

All Eye Radical Characters

HSK 1 (4 characters)

看kànto look, to see睡shuìto sleep觉juéto feel, to sleep真zhēnreally

HSK 2 (3 characters)

眼yǎneye着zhe-ing, to wear睛jīngeyeball

HSK 3 (3 characters)

目mùeye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

HSK 4 (1 characters)

省shěngprovince, to save

HSK 5 (2 characters)

盾dùnshield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矗chùlofty

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the eye radical mean in Chinese characters?
The eye radical (目) signals a semantic connection to eye-related concepts. When you see 目 in a character, it typically indicates the character's meaning involves eye or associated ideas. With 38 characters using this radical, it is one of the more productive radicals in Chinese. Radical classifications follow the Kangxi radical system, the traditional standard for organizing Chinese characters.
How many characters use the eye radical?
There are 38 characters with the eye radical (目) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 4 in HSK 1, 3 in HSK 2, 3 in HSK 3, 1 in HSK 4, 2 in HSK 5, 7 in HSK 6, 18 in HSK 7-9. The distribution across HSK levels reflects how fundamental eye-related concepts are at each stage of Mandarin learning.
What are the most common eye radical characters?
By frequency of use, the most common characters with the eye radical (目) are: 着 (zhe, "-ing, to wear"), 看 (kàn, "to look, to see"), 相 (xiāng, "mutual, appearance"), 真 (zhēn, "really"), 目 (mù, "eye"). These high-frequency characters are among the first eye-related characters most learners encounter.
What HSK levels include eye radical characters?
Characters with the eye radical (目) appear across 7 HSK levels: 4 in HSK 1, 3 in HSK 2, 3 in HSK 3, 1 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

Radical classifications on this page follow the Kangxi radical system (康熙部首), the standard set of 214 radicals codified in the Kangxi Dictionary (康熙字典, 1716). Character data is based on 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.