How to Write 镜 (jìng) — Meaning “mirror or lens”

Think of a metal (钅) mirror that shows your entire appearance. The right side 竟 looks like a person standing tall (立) and seeing themselves in a round frame (日 and 儿). Picture the metal surface reflecting your whole self.

The left radical 钅 ends with a rising stroke (提), not a horizontal line—a common mistake. On the right side, write the 立 part first (点横点撇横), then 日, then the bottom 儿, making sure the last stroke is a curved hook. Keep the left side narrow and the right side balanced.

镜 means mirror or lens and is very common in daily words like 镜子 and 眼镜. 锲 means to carve or engrave, used in the idiom 锲而不舍 (to persevere), and looks different because its right part is 契. 锴 is rare, meaning a type of fine iron, with the right part 皆.

镜 appears in common words such as 镜子 (mirror), 眼镜 (glasses), and 镜头 (camera lens or shot). In Chinese culture, mirrors are sometimes placed facing doors to ward off bad spirits, and the idiom 镜花水月 describes beautiful but illusory things.

Common words containing 镜 include: 镜子 (jìng zi) — mirror; 眼镜 (yǎn jìng) — glasses; 镜头 (jìng tóu) — camera lens or shot.