耳

Translingual

Stroke order

Stroke order (Japan)

Stroke order (Chinese)

Stroke order (Japan)

Alternative forms

When part of a compound character, particularly as the left radical, the bottom horizontal stroke may not cross at bottom right. This is a script variant, found for example in Japanese 聴.

Han character

See images of
Radical 128 耳

耳 (Kangxi radical 128, 耳+0, 6 strokes, cangjie input 尸十 (SJ), four-corner 1040₀)

1. Kangxi radical #128, ⽿.

Derived characters

• Appendix:Chinese radical/耳
• 佴, 咡, 𪣌, 㛅, 弭, 𢙘, 挕, 洱, 𬌯, 𫔾, 𭤶, 栮, 𣧹, 𣭞, 𪸥, 珥, 䏪, 𥙟, 眲, 𧙫, 䋙(䌺), 𧊗, 衈, 𥚅, 誀, 𬦮, 𨌀, 䣵, 鉺(铒), 𩊐, 餌(饵), 駬, 𬴿, 𮫸, 𪕔, 𨏄
• 刵, 取, 恥, 𫾬, 毦, 郰, 𨠧, 鵈, 咠, 𡱡, 茸, 𢩇, 斊, 𥥯, 𥹢, 䇯, 𮐘, 髶, 𩲽, 𬸽, 𫉻, 聾, 闻, 敢, 摂, 朂, 𢦀, 𤧬

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 965, character 5
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 28999
• Dae Jaweon: page 1413, character 12
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 4, page 2783, character 1
• Unihan data for U+8033

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 耳
Shang		Western Zhou	Warring States		Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Bronze inscriptions	Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Qin slip script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Pictogram (象形) – an ear.

Etymology 1

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *r/g-na (“ear”).

Pronunciation

Definitions

耳

1. ear

   耳聾／耳聋  ―  ěrlóng  ―  deaf

2. ear-like object

   木耳  ―  mù'ěr  ―  wood ear; black fungus

3. something on both sides

   耳房  ―  ěrfáng  ―  penthouse

   耳門／耳门  ―  ěrmén  ―  side door

4. handle on both sides of an object

   • 鼎黃耳金鉉，利貞。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
     鼎黄耳金铉，利贞。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: I Ching, 11^th – 8^th century BCE

     Dǐng huáng ěr jīnxuàn, lì zhēn.

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

5. (obsolete) to hear; to hear of
6. a surname
7. (Quanzhou and Xiamen Hokkien, figurative) something that can be used to coerce or threaten someone

Synonyms

Etymology 2

According to Pulleyblank (1995), a contraction of 而已 (OC *njɯ lɯʔ).

Pronunciation

Definitions

耳

1. (literary) Phrase-final particle: merely; only; that's all

   • 二三子，偃之言是也！前言戲之耳。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     二三子，偃之言是也！前言戏之耳。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Èrsānzǐ, Yǎn zhī yán shìyě! Qiányán xì zhī ěr.

     My disciples, Yan's words are right. What I said was only in sport.

Synonyms

• (merely): 而已 (éryǐ), 罷了／罢了 (bàliǎo)

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

Definitions

耳

1. Only used in 耳孫／耳孙 (réngsūn).

Compounds

References

• “耳”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–
• “Entry #2604”, in 臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典 (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2023.

Japanese

Kanji

(grade 1 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings

• Go-on: に (ni)
• Kan-on: じ (ji, Jōyō)
• Kun: みみ (mimi, 耳, Jōyō); のみ (nomi, 耳)

Compounds

Etymology

• ⟨mi₁mi₁⟩ → */mimi/ → /mimi/

From Old Japanese. First attested in the Nihon Shoki of 720 CE. From Proto-Japonic *memi.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) みみ​ (Odaka – )
• IPA^(key):

Noun

耳(みみ) • (mimi) 

1. ear; ears

   耳(みみ)が痒(かゆ)いのです。

   Mimi ga kayui no desu.

   My ear is itchy.

2. crust (of bread)
3. selvedge (woven edge of a bolt of fabric)

Derived terms

References

Korean

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 耳 (MC nyiX).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key):
• Phonetic hangul:
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

Hanja

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

耳

Wikisource

耳 (eumhun 귀 이 (gwi i))

1. Hanja form^? of 이 (“ear”).

Compounds

References

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典.

Okinawan

Kanji

(grade 1 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings

• Kun: みん (min); みみ (mimi)

Compounds

• 耳(みみ)ぐい (mimigui, “cloud ear fungus”)

Etymology

From Proto-Ryukyuan *mimi, from Proto-Japonic *mimi. Cognate with mainland Japanese 耳 (mimi).

Noun

耳(みん) (min) 

1. ear

Vietnamese

Han character

耳: Hán Nôm readings: nhĩ, nhải, nhãi

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.