How to Write 眩 (xuàn) — Meaning “dizzy; dazzled”

Imagine your eye (目) staring at a swirling, mysterious dark shape (玄) until you feel dizzy. The visual of a spinning dark vortex can help link the parts to the meaning "dizzy."

Pay attention to the right part 玄: it starts with a dot on top, then a left-falling stroke, two horizontal dashes, and a small hook at the bottom. A common mistake is confusing 玄 with 幺 (silk) — 玄 has an extra stroke at the top. Keep the left 目 narrow and the right 玄 balanced.

盱 (xū) means to stare or open eyes wide, and its right side is 于, not 玄. 盲 (máng) means blind, and has 亡 (death/loss) below 目. Visually, 眩 has the dark 玄 component, while 盱 has a simple 于 and 盲 has 亡. In meaning, only 眩 involves dizziness or being overwhelmed by sight.

眩 appears in words like 眩晕 (dizziness/vertigo) and 目眩 (dazzled/dizzy), often in medical or descriptive writing about balance or vision. It is not used in everyday conversation but is common in formal or literary contexts, such as describing exhaustion from bright lights or motion sickness.

Common words containing 眩 include: 眩晕 (xuàn yūn) — dizziness; vertigo; 头眩 (tóu xuàn) — dizzy / vertigo; 目眩 (mù xuàn) — dazzled / dizzy.