How to Write 颞 (niè) — Meaning “Temple (of the head)”

Imagine your temple is the part of your head right beside your ear (耳). The 页 on the right looks like a page or a flat area, so picture a flat page stuck to the side of your head near your ear to recall 颞 meaning temple.

The left component 耳 should be written narrower and slightly taller, taking up about one-third of the character's width. The right component 页 has a horizontal stroke that should align with the middle of 耳; a common mistake is making 耳 too wide or writing the last stroke of 页 (a dot) too far right.

颞 specifically refers to the temple of the head, while 颗 is a classifier for small round objects (like一颗心) and 题 means topic or question. Visually, 颞 has 耳 on the left, whereas 颗 has 果 (fruit) on the left and 题 has 是 (is) on the bottom right.

颞 is used almost exclusively in medical or anatomical terms, such as 颞骨 (temporal bone) and 颞下颌 (temporomandibular joint). You will rarely encounter it in daily conversation; it appears in textbooks or doctor’s reports when discussing head injuries or jaw problems.

Common words containing 颞 include: 颞部 (niè bù) — Temporal region; 颞骨 (niè gǔ) — Temporal bone; 颞下颌 (niè xià hé) — Temporomandibular.