How to Write 耵 (dīng) — Meaning “earwax (component of dīngníng)”

Picture a small nail (丁 looks like a nail) stuck in your ear (耳) causing earwax. Alternatively, imagine hearing a 'ding' sound and then finding earwax in your ear.

Write the left radical 耳 first with its vertical stroke down, then two short horizontals, then a long horizontal, and finish with a vertical hook. The right part 丁 is a horizontal then a vertical hook down. A common mistake is making the right side too wide; it should be narrow and balanced with the left.

耳 is just the ear radical meaning 'ear', while 耵 is a specific character for earwax. 耴 (yì) means to pull the ear and has a different right component (乚 instead of 丁). Visually, 耵 has a simple right side 丁, while 耴 has a curved stroke on the right.

This character appears almost exclusively in the word 耵聍 (dīngníng, earwax) and related medical terms like 耵聍腺 and 耵聍栓塞. In everyday speech, people usually say 耳屎 instead. It is mainly used in medical or biological contexts to refer to cerumen.

Common words containing 耵 include: 耵聍 (dīng níng) — earwax; cerumen; 耵聍腺 (dīng níng xiàn) — ceruminous gland; 耵聍栓塞 (dīng níng shuān sè) — impacted earwax; cerumen impaction.