The character 目 — “eye”: how to write it and what it means
eye; item
The Chinese character 目 is read mù and means “eye; item”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 目
目 has 5 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 目, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 目 is made of
A picture of an eye turned on its side. It appears in 眼, 睡, 看.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 目
- 节目program, showHSK 3
- 目标goal, targetHSK 4
- 目的purpose, aimHSK 4
- 目前at presentHSK 4
- 目的地destinationHSK 4
- 目光gazeHSK 5
- 题目topic; taskHSK 5
- 项目project, itemHSK 5
- 数目number, amountHSK 6
- 科目school subject, disciplineHSK 6
- 心目in sb's eyes, in sb's mindHSK 6
- 目录table of contents; catalogHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 目?
目 has 5 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 目 mean?
目 means “eye; item”. It appears in 节目 (“program”), 目标 (“goal”), 目的 (“purpose”), 目前 (“at present”).
How do you pronounce 目?
目 is read mù. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 目 have?
5 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 目 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
Start for free