Word
目付き
Meaning in Englishlook, expression of the eyes, eyes
Animated kanji stroke order
Sentence
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Word context
What it means
目付き means the look or expression formed by the eyes; it refers to the visible impression produced by a person’s gaze, not to the eyes themselves.
Main meanings
- primary meaning: the look or expression conveyed by the eyes
- nuances: mood or attitude inferred from the eyes, such as suspicion, warmth, hostility
- collocations: common phrases like 目つきが悪い and 目つきが鋭い
- contextual use: can indicate character or emotion in prose or conversation
How to use it
Used to describe the look in a person’s eyes and the mood it conveys; commonly appears in narrative descriptions and casual conversation; typically with が or の to mark the subject and with adjectives such as 鋭い or 優しい to specify the impression.
Variants and close terms
- 眼差し (manazashi) — gaze
- 視線 (shisen) — line of sight or glance
- 表情 (hyōjō) — facial expression
- 目つきが悪い (metsuki ga warui) — a harsh look; 目つきが優しい (metsuki ga yasashii) — a gentle look
Composition
- 目: eye
- 付き: attached; suffix indicating possession or state
- Overall: expresses the state or appearance of the eyes and what that appearance communicates
Etymology
metsuki is built from 目 meaning eye and 付き from 付く meaning attached/with; the noun form indicates the state of looking, and the pronunciation combines the components as me + tsuki to produce metsuki.
Word class
noun (名詞)
Word
Related words by kanji and components
N1
効き目
kikime
effect, virtue, efficacy
N1
傷付く
kizutsuku
to be hurt, to be wounded, to get injured
N1
傷付ける
kizutsukeru
to wound, to hurt someone's feelings
N1
生真面目
kimajime
serious, sincerity
N1
切れ目
kireme
break, pause, gap
N1
据え付ける
suetsukeru
to install, to equip, to mount
N1
備え付ける
sonaetsukeru
to provide, to equip, to install
N1
着目
chakumoku
attention
N1
継目
tsugime
joint, seam
Kanji