How to Write 耳 (ěr) — Meaning “ear”

Imagine the character 耳 as a side view of an ear, with the top part being the earlobe and the three horizontal lines representing the inner curves. You can also think of it as a capital 'E' with an extra line, since 'Ear' starts with E.

Write 耳 with 6 strokes: first the left vertical line, then the top horizontal, middle horizontal, bottom horizontal, then a short vertical down from the left, and finally the long horizontal stroke at the bottom. Make sure the three inner horizontal strokes are evenly spaced and not too long, and the final bottom stroke extends slightly to the right.

耳 means 'ear' and is a common character. 耴 (yì) is rare and means 'to have a pointed ear' or is a phonetic component; it looks similar but has an extra stroke or hook. 耵 (dīng) is also rare and means 'earwax'—it adds a small component on the right. In daily use, you will almost never see 耴 or 耵, so focus on 耳.

耳 appears in common words like 耳朵 (ěr duǒ) for 'ear', 耳机 (ěr jī) for 'headphones', and 木耳 (mù ěr) for 'wood ear mushroom', a popular edible fungus. In Chinese culture, the ear is associated with listening and wisdom, as in the idiom 耳聪目明 (sharp ears and clear eyes), meaning alert and intelligent.

Common words containing 耳 include: 耳朵 (ěr duǒ) — ear; 耳机 (ěr jī) — headphones; earphones; 木耳 (mù ěr) — wood ear mushroom.