How to Write 聍 (níng) — Meaning “earwax”

Imagine your ear is a peaceful place — the right side 宁 means "peaceful" or "rather" in other contexts. Picture earwax quietly protecting your ear canal, so the "peaceful ear" (耳 + 宁) helps you recall that 聍 refers to earwax.

Write the left radical 耳 first (horizontal, vertical, horizontal, horizontal, vertical, horizontal — 6 strokes), then the right side 宁 (dot, dot, horizontal hook, vertical — 5 strokes). A common mistake is making the right side too wide; keep the whole character narrow and balanced, and don't forget the horizontal hook in 宁.

耷 (dā) means "drooping ears" and is used in words like 耷拉 (dā la, to droop), while 耸 (sǒng) means "to rise up" or "to alarm" (e.g., 耸立, towering). 聍 is specific to earwax and is always pronounced níng; it has a very different meaning and usage compared to these other ear-radical characters.

聍 is almost never used alone; it always appears in the compound 耵聍 (dīng níng), which is the formal medical term for earwax (cerumen). You might also see 耵聍腺 (ceruminous gland) or 耵聍栓塞 (impacted earwax) in medical contexts. In daily life, Chinese speakers simply use the more common word 耳屎 (ěr shǐ) for earwax.

Common words containing 聍 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.