耳 meaning and stroke order
Ear; to hear, to hear of; handle
How to write 耳, stroke by stroke
6 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Meaning of 耳
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- ear
- handle (archaeology)
- and that is all (Classical Chinese)
How 耳 is built
Pictographic character. An ear.
How to remember 耳
耳 (ěr) is a picture of an ear. The tall frame is the outer ear, and the short horizontal lines inside are like the folds you see when you look at an ear from the side.
In everyday speech people say 耳朵 (ěrduo) for ear, and 耳 alone appears mostly in compounds and set phrases like 耳机 (ěrjī) headphones or 刺耳 (cì'ěr) ear-piercing. Example: 我的耳机坏了。(Wǒ de ěrjī huài le.) My headphones are broken.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 耳 with 目 (mù, eye) or 且 (qiě). 耳 has a bottom stroke that extends past the left side and a vertical stroke on the right that pokes out below.
Common words with 耳
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 耳机 | ěrjī | headphones; earphones | HSK 4 |
| 耳朵 | ěrduo | ear; handle (on a cup) | HSK 5 |
| 耳光 | ěrguāng | a slap on the face | HSK 7-9 |
| 刺耳 | cì'ěr | ear-piercing | HSK 7-9 |
| 悦耳 | yuè'ěr | sweet-sounding; beautiful (of sound) | HSK 7-9 |
| 耳目一新 | ěrmù-yīxīn | a pleasant change; a breath of fresh air | HSK 7-9 |
| 耳熟能详 | ěrshú-néngxiáng | what's frequently heard can be repeated in detail (idiom) | HSK 7-9 |
| 耳闻目睹 | ěrwén-mùdǔ | to witness personally | HSK 7-9 |
| 交头接耳 | jiāotóu-jiē'ěr | to whisper to one another's ear | HSK 7-9 |
| 面红耳赤 | miànhóng-ěrchì | flushed with anger (or excitement) | HSK 7-9 |
| 耳环 | ěrhuán | earring | |
| 耳语 | ěryǔ | to whisper in sb's ear; a whisper | |
| 洗耳恭听 | xǐ'ěrgōngtīng | to listen with respectful attention; (a polite request to sb to speak) | |
| 耳熟 | ěrshú | to sound familiar; familiar-sounding |
耳 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 耳
Learning 耳 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 耳
How many strokes are in 耳?
耳 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 耳 mean?
耳 (ěr) means ear; to hear, to hear of; handle. A common word with it is 耳机 (ěrjī), meaning "headphones; earphones".
How do you pronounce 耳?
耳 is pronounced ěr, in the third tone (dipping).
Is 耳 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 耳 is part of the HSK 4 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
Why is 耳 in characters like 听 and 闻?
As a component, 耳 usually signals hearing or the ear, as in 闻 (wén, to hear) and 聋 (lóng, deaf). The traditional form of 听 is 聽, which contains 耳. Spotting 耳 inside a character is a good clue that its meaning relates to sound or listening.
Is the second syllable of 耳朵 toneless?
Yes. In standard Mandarin 耳朵 is said ěrduo, with 朵 in the neutral tone. You will hear it said that way in most everyday speech.