How to Write 眸 (móu) — Meaning “pupil of the eye”

Imagine looking into someone's eye and seeing the reflection of a cow's head (牟 sounds like 'moo'). The eye (目) contains the pupil, and that cow's head reminds you of the pronunciation 'móu'.

Pay attention to the left side 目 which must be narrow and tall, with four horizontal strokes evenly spaced. The right side 牟 starts with a short left-falling stroke (撇) followed by two horizontal lines, and the last stroke is a vertical hook – do not make the vertical hook too long, or the character will look unbalanced.

相 (xiāng) means 'mutual' or 'appearance' and uses 木 (tree) on the left, not the eye radical. 盹 (dǔn) means 'doze' or 'nap' and has the eye radical 目 with a phonetic 屯 (tún) – it describes a brief sleep, not the eye itself. 眸 specifically refers to the pupil or eye, often used in poetic expressions like 'bright eyes'.

眸 appears in elegant or literary phrases such as 明眸 (bright, clear eyes) and 回眸 (to glance back, often used in romantic or nostalgic contexts). It is not common in daily conversation but adds a poetic touch when describing eyes, especially in songs, poems, or formal writing about beauty.

Common words containing 眸 include: 眸子 (móu zi) — pupil or eye; 明眸 (míng móu) — Bright eyes; 回眸 (huí móu) — To look back; to glance back..