L13. [Day 13] 目 - eye

Days 11-20

R-report

[Day 13] 目 - eye

The character 目 originally depicts an eye — it appears in writing directed at vision, attention, items counted by eyes, and figurative senses like goals or points of view. You’ll see 目 in everyday words about eyes (physical), lists, aims, and expressions like “in my eyes.” Readings: On'yomi and Kun'yomi are both common: On'yomi appears in compound words (e.g., 目的 もくてき, 目次 もくじ), while the Kun'yomi め is used for the standalone noun (e.g., 目を閉じる). Mnemonic tip: imagine the box with a line across as a simplified eyeball — it helps recall both the meaning “eye” and the box-like shape of the kanji.

Readings

On'yomi: **モク・ボク** (moku, boku) Kun'yomi: **め** (me)

Related words

• 目（め / me） — eye - 彼の**目**はとても優しい。(Kare no me wa totemo yasashii.) (His eyes are very gentle.)

• 目的（もくてき / mokuteki） — purpose; objective - 新しいプロジェクトの**目的**は明確だ。(Atarashii purojekuto no mokuteki wa meikaku da.) (The purpose of the new project is clear.)

• 目標（もくひょう / mokuhyou） — goal; target - 日本語の**目標**はJLPT N4に合格することです。(Nihongo no mokuhyou wa JLPT N4 ni goukaku suru koto desu.) (My goal for Japanese is to pass JLPT N4.)

• 目薬（めぐすり / megusuri） — eye drops - 目が乾いたら**目薬**を使ってください。(Me ga kawaitara megusuri o tsukatte kudasai.) (If your eyes are dry, please use eye drops.)

• 目次（もくじ / mokuji） — table of contents - 本の**目次**を先にチェックしました。(Hon no mokuji o saki ni chekku shimashita.) (I checked the book's table of contents first.)