How to Write 睹 (dǔ) — Meaning “To see.”

Imagine a person (者) using their eyes (目) to look at something important — that is 睹, meaning "to see." You can also think of the phrase "the person with eyes sees" to link the components to the meaning.

Write the left radical 目 first, keeping it narrow and balanced. Then add 者, making sure the horizontal strokes are level and the dot at the top-right of 者 is not forgotten. A common mistake is making the 目 too wide, which throws off the whole character's proportions.

睹 (dǔ) means "to see" or "to witness," while 眦 (zì) refers to the corner of the eye, not the act of seeing. 眭 (suī) is much rarer and means to stare or glare angrily. Visually, 睹 uses 者, 眦 uses 此 (this), and 眭 uses 圭 (jade).

睹 appears in formal or literary expressions like 目睹 (witness with one’s own eyes) and the idiom 先睹为快 (to consider it a pleasure to see something first). It is not used in everyday conversation but is common in written news and classical-style writing.

Common words containing 睹 include: 目睹 (mù dǔ) — witness / see with one's own eyes; 先睹为快 (xiān dǔ wéi kuài) — to consider it a pleasure to be among the first to see; 耳闻目睹 (ěr wén mù dǔ) — to see and hear for oneself.