sanpaku

S1A1N1P3A1K5U1

noun

The presence of visible white space (sclera) above or below the iris of the human eye, traditionally supposed in China and Japan to indicate physical or mental imbalance.

OriginJapanese 三白 →
Scrabble 13
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Meanings

nounsanpaku (uncountable)
  1. uncountableThe presence of visible white space (sclera) above or below the iris of the human eye, traditionally supposed in China and Japan to indicate physical or mental imbalance.

    A millimeter of white showed beneath each of her pupils. Sanpaku.

    1984, William Gibson, Neuromancer (Sprawl; book 1), New York, N.Y.: Ace Books, →ISBN, page 10

Origin

  1. Japanese三白“three whites”
  2. Englishsanpaku

Borrowed from Japanese 三白 (sanpaku, “three whites”) or 三白眼 (sanpaku gan, “three-white eyes”).

More words from Japanese

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

sanpaku. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sanpaku

MLA

“sanpaku.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sanpaku. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sanpaku,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sanpaku.

Source: sanpaku on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.