How to Write 屙 (ē) — Meaning “To defecate.”

Imagine a person squatting like a body (尸) and saying "Eh" (ē) while pooping. The sound "Eh" matches the pinyin ē, and the body radical reminds you this is a bodily function.

Start with the radical 尸 (three strokes: horizontal left falling, horizontal, left falling). Then write the outer part of 阿: first the left ear (阝), then the inner 口 (mouth) and finally the 丁 hook. Common mistake: forgetting the hook at the bottom of 阿 or making the 尸 too wide.

While 屙 (ē) means to defecate, 居 (jū) means to reside or live. Visually, 屙 has 尸 plus 阿, while 居 has 尸 plus 古. 屙 is very informal and used only for bodily excretion, whereas 居 is common in formal words like 居民 (resident).

屙 is a colloquial, somewhat crude term for defecating, used mainly in informal speech or in rural dialects. It appears in words like 屙屎 (poop) and 屙尿 (pee), but is rarely seen in polite or formal writing. In cities, people usually prefer the more neutral term 大便 (dàbiàn).

Common words containing 屙 include: 屙屎 (ē shǐ) — to poop; to defecate; 屙尿 (ē niào) — To urinate.; 屙肚子 (ē dǔ zi) — to have diarrhea.