泪
lèi · HSK 4
tear
💧😢 泪 = 氵(water) + 目 (eye) — water from the eye
The left side 氵 is the three-drops water radical; the right side 目 means eye. Water from an eye is a tear. The pronunciation lèi is unrelated to the components — learn it as a separate sound paired with the water+eye decomposition.
泪 — water radical 氵 + eye 目
泪 is a semantic compound combining the water radical 氵 with 目 (eye), literally depicting water from the eye — tears. It is the modern simplified form of the older character 淚, which used 戾 as a phonetic component. The newer 泪 form is purely meaning-based and easier to remember.