闻
hear; smell; news
At a glance · 闻
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 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.
繁体「聞」甲骨文像人跪坐以手附耳之形，本义为听见。小篆从耳（意符），门声。简体「闻」同。形声清晰。
What the sketch shows
Origins & notes
本义为听见，引申为听闻、名声。
Structure
形声字，从耳（意符，听觉），门（mén）为声符。
At a glance
Pinyinwén
Radical门
Strokes9
UnicodeU+95FB
Character type形声
Theme动作
Six languages, one character
Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.
English
hear; smell; news
To hear, smell, make known, or news.
Français
entendre; nouvelle
Entendre, sentir, divulguer ou nouvelle.
Español
oír; noticia
Oír, oler, divulgar o noticia.
العربية
يسمع؛ يشم؛ خبر
أن يسمع أو يشم أو خبر.
Русский
слышать; новость
Слышать, нюхать, сообщать или новость.
Common words
- 闻wénhear
- 新闻xīn wénnews