How to Write 睇 (dì) — Meaning “To look at; to glance.”

Picture your younger brother (弟) using his eye (目) to sneak a quick glance at something. The sound "dì" can also remind you of "dee" — imagine someone saying "Dee, look over there!" for a sudden look.

Write the left radical 目 narrow and tall with 5 strokes. The right part 弟 has 7 strokes: start with a dot and a short diagonal, then a horizontal stroke followed by a vertical hook. A common mistake is making the right part too wide — keep it balanced.

睇 means a quick glance or casual look, while 眙 (yí) means to stare fixedly. Visually, 睇 uses the right part 弟, whereas 眙 uses 台 (platform); the two are not interchangeable.

In standard Mandarin, 睇 is rare and mostly appears in literary or formal phrases like 睇视 (to gaze). However, it is extremely common in Cantonese, where it is the everyday word for "to look" or "to watch," such as in 睇电视 (watch TV).

Common words containing 睇 include: 睇视 (dì shì) — To look at; to view.; 睇一眼 (dì yī yǎn) — To take a look; to glance.; 睇眄 (dì miǎn) — To look askance; to gaze..