眼球(がんきゅう)

Compound of 眼(がん) (eye) + 球(きゅう) (ball, sphere). The standard term for the physical eyeball.

Usage

Used in both medical/scientific contexts and everyday language. More clinical than 目(め) (eye), which is the everyday word. 眼球(がんきゅう) specifically refers to the physical globe of the eye, while 目(め) can refer to the eye, eyesight, or vision more broadly.

Common collocations

• 眼球(がんきゅう)運動(うんどう) — eye movement
• 眼球(がんきゅう)が乾(かわ)く — eyeballs dry out
• 眼球(がんきゅう)の表面(ひょうめん) — surface of the eyeball
• 眼球(がんきゅう)を動(うご)かす — to move one's eyeballs

Similar words

• 目(め) — eye (everyday, broader usage)
• 目玉(めだま) — eyeball (more colloquial; also means "highlight" or "featured item")
• 瞳(ひとみ) — pupil, eye (poetic, often used for the iris/pupil area)