目指す
めざす · mezasu · JLPT N2 · verb-godan
to aim at
🎯 目 (eye) + 指す (point at) = point your eye at the goal and keep it there
目指す is 目 (eye) plus 指す (to point at). To aim at something, you point your eye at it. The same 指 appears in 指示 (instruction), which is pointing someone toward a task.
指 — hand radical 扌 + 旨 (zhǐ, phonetic)
指 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The hand radical 扌 gives the meaning — something done with the hand, namely pointing with a finger. 旨 supplies the sound 'zhǐ'. From 'finger' it naturally extended to the verb 'to point' and figurative senses like 'to indicate' or 'to refer to'.