耳 ěr — ear · English

耳

ěr

ear

At a glance · 耳

Listen

Audio is synthesized in your browser: Mandarin for the character and Shuowen text, native voices for every translation. No downloads.

Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

甲骨文象耳朵侧面之形，本义为耳朵。小篆圆转，隶楷作「耳」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

本义为耳朵，亦作语助（而已）。

Structure

象形字，甲骨文象耳廓形状。

At a glance

Pinyiněr

Radical耳

Strokes6

UnicodeU+8033

Character type象形

Theme人体

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English ear The ear, organ of hearing.

Français oreille L’oreille, organe de l’ouïe.

Español oreja La oreja, órgano del oído.

العربية أذن الأذن، عضو السمع.

Русский ухо Ухо, орган слуха.

Common words

耳朵ěr duǒear
耳ěrear

◉ Listen