目次

もくじ · mokuji · JLPT N2 · noun

contents

📑 目 (eye/item) + 次 (order) = the order of items you scan with your eyes first; sounds like 'moku-ji', a table of contents lists items in order.

目 means eye or item and 次 means next or order, so 目次 is the order of the items a book lists. Think of the contents page as the book's ordered list of headings, read first.

次 — 冫 ice + 欠 yawn/lack
Originally depicted a person (欠) sighing or hesitating, with 二 (later written 冫) marking repetition or a secondary position. The core sense developed from 'second in order' or 'next' into related meanings like 'sequence,' 'time/occurrence,' and 'inferior quality.'

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