TraceHanzi

眯 meaning and stroke order

mī

To squint, to narrow the eyes; blindness

11 strokesRadical 目Traditional 瞇
Strokes11
Pinyinmī
ToneTone 1
Frequency#4,977
Printable worksheet

How to write 眯, stroke by stroke

11 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11

Meaning of 眯

Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.

mísecond tone (rising)
  1. to blind (as with dust)
  2. Taiwan pr. [mi3]
mīfirst tone (high and level)
  1. to narrow one's eyes
  2. to squint
  3. (dialect) to take a nap

How 眯 is built

Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Eye.

mùeye+mǐuncooked rice

目 gives the meaning and 米 hints at the sound.

Radical: 目 (eye), shared by 100 characters on this site.

How to remember 眯

眯 combines 目 (eye) with 米 (mǐ, rice), which gives the sound. Picture narrowing your eyes until they are as thin as a grain of rice.

眯 (mī) usually describes narrowing the eyes, often from bright light, a smile, or trying to see clearly. It often appears as 眯着眼 or 眯眼. Example: 他笑得眼睛都眯起来了。(Tā xiào de yǎnjing dōu mī qǐlái le.) He smiled so much his eyes narrowed into slits.

Common mistake: Learners often confuse the two readings. 眯 (mī, first tone) means to squint, while 眯 (mí, second tone) means something got in your eye, as in 沙子眯了眼 (shāzi mí le yǎn). Also, do not mix it up with 咪 (mī), which has 口 instead of 目 and is used in 咪咪 for a cat.

眯 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

我wǒ眯mī了le一yī会huì之zhī后hòu把bǎ作zuò业yè写xiě了le。
I did my homework after I took a nap.
她tā笑xiào眯mī眯mī的de对duì我wǒ招zhāo手shǒu。
She waved her hand to me, smiling brightly.

Questions about 眯

How many strokes are in 眯?

眯 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.

What does 眯 mean?

眯 (mī) means to squint, to narrow the eyes; blindness.

How do you pronounce 眯?

眯 is pronounced mī, in the first tone (high and level).

What is the radical of 眯?

The radical of 眯 is 目, which carries the idea of "eye". Dictionaries list 眯 under this radical.

What is the traditional form of 眯?

The traditional form of 眯 is 瞇. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 眯 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.

Can 眯 mean taking a nap?

Yes, in some dialects and casual speech 眯一会儿 (mī yíhuìr) means to take a short nap. It suggests just closing your eyes briefly rather than sleeping deeply.

What is the difference between 眯眼 and 闭眼?

眯眼 (mī yǎn) means the eyes are narrowed but still partly open. 闭眼 (bì yǎn) means the eyes are fully closed.