How to Write 耴 (yì) — Meaning “appearance of ears (archaic)”

Visualize the left side 耳 as an ear and the right hook as a tiny earring or the curved outer rim of an ear. Imagine a person with a decorative ear hook, reminding you that 耴 means the appearance of ears. This simple image helps connect the shape to the meaning.

Write the left radical 耳 first with 6 strokes (horizontal, vertical, horizontal, horizontal, vertical, horizontal), then add one final curved hook stroke (乚) from top to bottom right. A common mistake is splitting the hook into two separate strokes—remember it is a single continuous curve. Also keep the ear part upright and well-proportioned, not tilted.

耳 means "ear" and has no extra stroke on the right, while 耴 has a small hook after the ear radical. 耵 (dīng) looks different because its right side is 丁 (a T-shape) instead of a simple hook, and it relates to earwax or ear disease. Visually, 耴’s hook is like a curved line, while 耵’s right part has a horizontal and a vertical stroke.

耴 is an archaic character that appears only in old texts, dictionaries, or specialized studies of ancient Chinese, such as in the word 耴耴 meaning "appearance of ears." It is not used in everyday modern Chinese and has no common cultural references. However, calligraphy enthusiasts may enjoy writing it for its unique, flowing hook stroke.

Common words containing 耴 include: 耴耴 (yì yì) — appearance of ears (archaic); 耴字 (yì zì) — the character 'Yi'; 读音耴 (dú yīn yì) — Pronunciation of '耴'.