How to Write 鄂 (è) — Meaning “E (abbreviation for Hubei Province)”

Imagine a crocodile (咢 looks like two open jaws) sitting on top of a city wall (阝 represents a hill or city). This funny image helps you remember that 鄂 is a place name (Hubei) and is pronounced "è" like the sound a crocodile might make.

Write the left radical 阝 first — it has two strokes and should be narrow. Then write the right side 咢, starting with the top 口, then a horizontal stroke, then a vertical hook, and finally the bottom 口. A common mistake is making the right side too tall or misaligning the two mouths.

All three have the left radical 阝, but their right sides differ. 鄂 has a right side 咢 that looks like two mouths stacked. 郗 has right side 希 (with 乂 and 巾), and 郛 has right side 孚 (with 爫 and 子). Pay attention to the top part of the right component to tell them apart.

鄂 is mainly used as the official abbreviation for Hubei Province, appearing on car license plates (e.g., 鄂A for Wuhan) and in names like 鄂州 (Ezhou city) and 鄂菜 (Hubei cuisine). Note that 鄂尔多斯 (Ordos) is actually in Inner Mongolia, not Hubei, so the character can appear in place names outside its province abbreviation.

Common words containing 鄂 include: 鄂州 (è zhōu) — Ezhou (a city in Hubei); 鄂尔多斯 (è ěr duō sī) — Ordos (a city in Inner Mongolia); 鄂菜 (è cài) — Hubei cuisine.