Writing Balance Rule: Write from top to bottom. The outer frame is balanced with vertical strokes and horizontal bridges, and the central horizontal strokes must not crowd the bottom enclosure.
1. Meaning
ear
handle (archaeology)and that is all (Classical Chinese)
NounNeutral#anatomy#body parts#senses
Sample Usage
他竖起耳朵听。
tā shù qǐ ěr duo tīng.
He pricked up his ears to listen.
这只杯子有两个耳。
zhè zhī bēi zi yǒu liǎng gè ěr.
This cup has two handles.
2. Sound
/[ɤɻ²¹⁴]/Tone: 214
耳
ěrer3
|
++
ˇ(214)
=ěr
Initial Consonant
∅
Type: Zero Initial (Pure Vowel)
Sounds like: y / w
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Starts directly on the vowel sound without consonant obstruction.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Open vocal tract directly into the target vowel shape.
Final Rhyme
er
Vowel Group: -e vowel group
Sounds like: er rhymes with the 'ur' sound in 'hurt' with a retroflex tongue curl
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ar'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T3 (214)
2 → 1 → 4 (214)
3rd Tone (Low-Dipping)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 3 dips low and rises, just like a person saying 'What?' in disbelief with a downward then upward pitch shift.
Sandhi: When followed by another 3rd tone syllable, its tone shifts to a rising 2nd tone (35).
👂
Listening trap: Confusing the retroflex r-ending (er) with simple alveolar vowels like -e or -i.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Start at a mid-high pitch, dip down smoothly to the lowest point of your vocal range, and rise up sharply, mimicking a physical hand motion tracing a dipping valley.
3. Writing
Topology: Single character · Strokes: 6 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: Write from top to bottom. The outer frame is balanced with vertical strokes and horizontal bridges, and the central horizontal strokes must not crowd the bottom enclosure.
4. Components
Radical耳 · Ear Radical (ear)
Originally a pictograph of a human ear, showing the upper curve, ear canal, and lobe.
耳 Full pictograph of an ear
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
6· Phonetic Root: 耳 (ěr)
5. History
Liushu category: Pictogram (象形)
Origin: In Oracle Bone script, 耳 was drawn as a distinct profile outline of a human ear with inner folds clearly marked.
Semantic Evolution: From the physical organ of hearing, it extended to mean anything ear-shaped, such as cup handles, and eventually grammatical particle uses in Classical Chinese.
As a radical (部首), characters featuring 耳 frequently relate to hearing, listening, or catching sounds (e.g., 听, 闻).
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
nhĩ
The rising tone in Sino-Vietnamese corresponds roughly to the rising contour of Chinese Tone 3.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: ジ (ji) / Kun: みみ (mimi)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
이
Sound Shift Bridge: The historical root connects to ancestral forms, though modern English 'ear' and Mandarin 'ěr' share only incidental phonetic similarity.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
Imagine a giant pair of headphones shaped exactly like the character 耳, resting over two big ears to help you listen carefully.
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
取
qǔto takeCombines ear (耳) and hand (又): historically, ancient warriors cut off the ears of defeated enemies to take as proof of victory.
闻
wénto smell / to hearCombines gate (门) and ear (耳): putting your ear to the door to hear what is happening.
聪
cōngclever / sharp-earedCombines ear (耳), full (，), and heart (心): having a sharp ear and an attentive heart makes you wise.
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
目(mù)
目 means 'eye' and features vertical alignment with two horizontal dividing bars. 耳 means 'ear' and has more complex internal contours resembling a stylized outer shell.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
他认真地用[___]听老师讲课。
Clue: ěr
Common Learner Pitfall
Forgetting the retroflex tail (-r) in pinyin, mispronouncing it as a flat 'e' sound instead of an r-colored vowel.
Memory Prompts
Recognition: What does the character 耳 represent, and what is its Pinyin with tone?
Production: How do you write the character for 'ear' (ěr) in 6 strokes?
Real-World Video Context
Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.
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耳ěrear
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