耳
contributes the sense of the ear · Kangxi radical 128
contributes the sense of the ear, hearing, and by extension things shaped like ear-flaps or handles
耳 began as a simple side-view drawing of a human ear: an outer rim with the hollow and lobe marked inside. In the modern square form of 耳 you can still read the picture — the outer strokes are the rim of the ear, the two short horizontal strokes inside are the folds within it, and the long stroke dropping below is the lobe. Characters about hearing keep this sense directly, as in 聊 'to chat' and 聩 'born deaf', while 取 'to take' shows a hand grasping an ear, from the old practice of cutting off the ears of the slain to count them.
耳 at a glance
- Meaning
- contributes the sense of the ear
- Strokes
- 6
- Characters
- 46
- Role
- Contributes meaning
- Kangxi radical
- 128
Characters with 耳 (31 of 46)
HSK 4 · 5
HSK 5 · 1
Beyond HSK · 19
Frequently asked questions
What does the component 耳 mean?
耳 means "contributes the sense of the ear". In the characters that contain it, it contributes meaning.
How many Chinese characters contain 耳?
46 characters in this dictionary contain 耳, including ones at HSK 3, HSK 4, HSK 5, HSK 6.
Is 耳 a radical?
Yes — 耳 is Kangxi radical 128, one of the 214 traditional indexing radicals used to organise Chinese dictionaries.
How many strokes does 耳 have?
耳 is written in 6 strokes.