How to Write 眭 (suī) — Meaning “to look with a side glance; a surname”

Imagine a person named Sui who always looks sideways at things, with big eyes (目) shaped like a small square (圭). The left part is the eye, and the right part looks like two stacked earth mounds, reminding you that Sui stares at the ground as he walks. This visual link helps recall both the sound and meaning.

Write the left radical 目 first as three strokes (vertical, then two horizontals), then the right part 圭 with four strokes per earth layer. A common mistake is making the eye too wide or the 圭 too tall, so keep both parts balanced in height. Also, ensure the horizontal strokes of 圭 are parallel and not too long.

眭 (suī) means to look sideways or a surname, while 相 (xiāng/xiàng) means mutual or appearance, and uses the tree radical 木 instead of 目. 盹 (dǔn) means to doze off, with the mouth radical 口 added to the eye. Visually, 眭 has 目 plus 圭, 相 has 木 plus 目, and 盹 has 目 plus 屯.

眭 is very rare and mostly used as a surname (姓眭), not in common vocabulary. In classical texts, it can mean to stare or glare sideways. Today, you may encounter it only in names or historical references, so it is not needed for daily conversation.

Common words containing 眭 include: 姓眭 (xìng suī) — Surname Sui; 眭目 (suī mù) — to stare at; 眭然 (suī rán) — looking with a side glance.