眉 (méi) is a Chinese character meaning “eyebrow”. It is written from 𡰯 (arched brow shape enclosing the top-left (upper part of 眉)) and 目 (eye), one enclosing the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “eyebrow”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
𡰯 + 目
Enclosing structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（𡰯 0-3 共4画 + 目 4-8 共5画 = 9画）；构件归属见《说文解字》「眉：目上毛也。从目，象眉之形」
Memory aid
An arched brow shape (𡰯) curves over the eye (目) — the hair above your eye is the eyebrow.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 眉毛méi maoeyebrow眉 = méi
- 眉头méi tóubrows; the area between the eyebrows眉 = méi
- 峨眉山é méi shānMount Emei (a mountain in Sichuan)眉 = méi
- 皱眉zhòu méito frown; to knit one's brows眉 = méi
- 眉梢méishāothe tip of the eyebrow眉 = méi
Go deeper
All readings
eyebrow
eyebrow; the top margin of a page
眉毛，长在眼睛上方的毛；也指书页上方的空白处。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 眉毛méi maoeyebrow眉 = méi
- 眉头méi tóubrows; the area between the eyebrows眉 = méi
- 峨眉山é méi shānMount Emei (a mountain in Sichuan)眉 = méi
- 皱眉zhòu méito frown; to knit one's brows眉 = méi
- 眉梢méishāothe tip of the eyebrow眉 = méi
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 眉 mean?
眉 (méi) means eyebrow; the top margin of a page.
How do you pronounce 眉?
It is pronounced méi.
What parts is 眉 made of?
𡰯 (arched brow shape enclosing the top-left (upper part of 眉)) and 目 (eye), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（𡰯 0-3 共4画 + 目 4-8 共5画 = 9画）；构件归属见《说文解字》「眉：目上毛也。从目，象眉之形」. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 眉 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 眉?
目. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 眉?
Common ones are 眉毛 and 眉头. The reading of 眉 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.