眼 meaning in English

yǎn

eye (CL:隻|只[zhi1],雙|双[shuang1]); (often used with 一[yi1]) a look; a glance

HSK 2nounmeasure word11 strokes

Meaning of 眼

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

yǎn

eye (CL:隻|只[zhi1],雙|双[shuang1])
(often used with 一[yi1]) a look; a glance
small hole
(bound form) salient point
classifier for wells, cave-dwellings etc

How to use 眼

In everyday speech people usually say 眼睛 (yǎnjing) for the eye itself, while 眼 appears in compounds and set phrases. With 一 it means a quick look: 他看了我一眼。(Tā kàn le wǒ yī yǎn.) He glanced at me.

眼 (yǎn) has 目 (mù, eye) on the left, which tells you the meaning. The right side 艮 (gěn) gives a hint of the sound, so picture an eye 目 standing next to its sound partner.

Common mistake: Learners often mix up 眼 with 很 (hěn) or 跟 (gēn), which share the same right side 艮. Check the left part: 目 means eye, 彳 is in 很, and 足 is in 跟.

眼 in example sentences

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

她tā连lián看kàn也yě没méi有yǒu看kàn我wǒ一yī眼yǎn。

She didn't so much as look at me.

他tā对duì女nǚ人rén没méi有yǒu眼yǎn光guāng。

He has no eye for women.

我wǒ不bù敢gǎn相xiāng信xìn眼yǎn前qián发fā生shēng的de这zhè一yī切qiè。

I cannot believe what's happening in front of my eyes.

我wǒ亲qīn眼yǎn见jiàn到dào了le它tā。

I saw it with my own eyes.

她tā第dì一yī眼yǎn就jiù吸xī引yǐn了le我wǒ。

She attracted me at first sight.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

眼 yǎn · eye · 11 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 眼.

眼睛	yǎnjing	eye
眼前	yǎnqián	before one's eyes; now
眼镜	yǎnjìng	spectacles; eyeglasses
眼泪	yǎnlèi	tear; teardrop
眼里	yǎnli
眼光	yǎnguāng	gaze; insight
眼看	yǎnkàn	soon; in a moment
亲眼	qīnyǎn	with one's own eyes; personally
眼神	yǎnshén	expression or emotion showing in one's eyes; meaningful glance
一眼	yīyǎn	a glance; a quick look
眼下	yǎnxià	now; at present; (anatomy) subocular
眨眼	zhǎyǎn	to blink; to wink

Questions about 眼

What does 眼 mean?

眼 (yǎn) means "eye (CL:隻|只[zhi1],雙|双[shuang1]); (often used with 一[yi1]) a look; a glance" and is used as a noun and measure word.

How do you write 眼?

眼 is made of 1 character: 眼 (11 strokes). That is 11 strokes in total.

Is 眼 an HSK word?

Yes. 眼 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

What is the difference between 眼 and 眼睛?

Both mean eye, but 眼睛 (yǎnjing) is the normal standalone word in conversation. 眼 alone is more common in compounds like 眼镜 (yǎnjìng) or in phrases like 看一眼 (kàn yī yǎn), take a look.

How is 眼 used as a classifier?

眼 can count wells and cave dwellings, for example 一眼井 (yī yǎn jǐng), one well. This use is less common and appears mostly in written or regional Chinese.