Reconstruction:Proto-Sino-Tibetan/s-mjak ~ s-mik

• Proto-Sino-Tibetan: *(s-)myəːk (Chou, 1972), *myikw (Coblin, 1986)
  • Proto-Tibeto-Burman: *s-myak ⪤ *s-mik (Matisoff, STEDT); *(s-)myəːk (Chou, 1972); *myikw (Coblin, 1986); *mya[a]k (LaPolla, 1987)

This root shows alternation between medial *ya and *i.

In some languages (e.g. Burmish, Karenic) this word also means "face", a relationship perhaps reminiscent of Vietnamese mắt (“eye”) ~ mặt (“face”).

Compare:

• Proto-Hmong-Mien *mu̯ɛjH (“eye”) (Hmong (RPA): muag)
• Proto-Austroasiatic *mat (“eye”) (Vietnamese mắt, Modern Mon မတ် (mòt))
• Proto-Austronesian *mata (“eye”) (Malay, Indonesian mata)
• Proto-Kra-Dai *maTa: (“eye”) (Baha ma⁵⁵da³²²)

*s-mjak ~ s-mik

1. eye

• Old Chinese: 目 (*muɡ, “eye”)
  • Middle Chinese: 目 (mɨuk̚) /mɨuk/
    • Modern Mandarin
      • Beijing: 目 (mù) /mu⁵¹/
    • Cantonese
      • Guangzhou: 目 (muk⁶) /mʊk̚²/
    • Wu
      • Shanghai: 目 (⁸moq) /mʊ̆ʔ¹²/
  • Min
    • Min Nan
      • Taiwan: 目 /bak̚⁵/ (colloquial), /bok̚⁵/ (literary)
• Himalayish
  • Tibeto-Kanauri
    • Bodic
      • Tibetan
        • Written Tibetan: མིག (mig, “eye”)
          • Dzongkha: མིག་ཏོ (mig to, “eye”)
          • Ladakhi–Balti
            • Ladakhi: མིག (mig, “eye”)
      • East Bodish:
        • Kurtöp: མིག (mik)
• Tangut-Qiang
  • Northern Tangut
    • Tangut: 𗑉 (*mej¹, “eye”)
  • rGyalrongic
    • Situ: tə-mɲak
  • Mahakiranti
    • Kiranti
      • Western Kiranti
        • Dumi: मीक्सी (miksi, “eye”)
      • Eastern Kiranti
        • Yamphu: मिक (mik, “eye”)
        • Yakkha: मिक (mikʌ, “eye”)
        • Athpare: मिक् (mik, “eye”)
        • Northern Lorung: मीक् (mik, “eye”)
• Sal
  • Bodo-Garo
    • Garo: mik (“eye, vision”)
• Lolo-Burmese-Naxi
  • Lolo-Burmese
    • Burmish
      • Burmese: မျက် (myak, “eye, face, knot in wood”)
    • Loloish
      • Northern Loloish
        • Nuosu (Liangshan): ꑓ (nyuo, “eye”)
• Proto-Karen: *mɛɁᴰ (Luangthongkum, 2013)
  • S'gaw Karen: မဲာ် (meḥ, “eye; face; knot in wood”)
  • Pa'o Karen: မဲ့ (“eye; face”)
  • Western Pwo: မ့ၬ (“eye; face”)
• Proto-Kuki-Chin: *mik
  • Khomic
    • Khumi Chin:

      Lemi Chin: ämi

      Khimi Chin: ämih

  • Northern
    • Zou: mit

• *ken ~ m-kjen (“to see; to know”)
• *mraŋ (“to see”)
• *hjen (“to look, to see; to hear, to listen”)