窺

peep, pry

窺 is composed of 穴 (cave) and 規 (compass, rule). 穴 is a pictograph of a cave or hole, while 規 depicts a person carefully observing and drawing a circle. Thus, 窺 originally means observing through a small hole, extending to imply peeking or spying.

Vocabulary of 窺

  • 窺探 (spy on)
  • 偷窺 (peek)

Related Characters: