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Ear

On’yomi
Kun’yomiみみ
JLPT N3 6 strokes #1297 most common Grade 1 Radical ear
書き順 · Stroke order

How to write 耳

Stroke order is not decoration — it determines how the character looks handwritten and how dictionaries index it.

6 strokes
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部首 · Radical

The radical of 耳

Radical 128 of 214
Ear

The radical is the part a paper dictionary files a kanji under, and it usually hints at meaning. 耳 is filed under (ear) — radical number 128 of the 214 in the Kangxi system.

Other kanji built on 耳

練習 · Practice

Drill 耳 right now

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Ear じ みみ
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熟語 · In real words

Words that use 耳

Kanji are almost never met alone. These are the most common words built from this character, ordered by how often they actually appear in Japanese.

耳目 じもく eyes and ears; seeing and hearing; one's attention
中耳炎 ちゅうじえん otitis media; middle-ear infection
耳打 みみうち whispering into a person's ear
耳打ち みみうち whispering into a person's ear
耳うち みみうち whispering into a person's ear
耳元 みみもと close to the ear
耳許 みみもと close to the ear
耳もと みみもと close to the ear
耳鼻咽喉科 じびいんこうか otorhinolaryngology; otolaryngology; ear, nose and throat department
初耳 はつみみ something heard for the first time; hearing something for the first time
名乗り · Name readings

How 耳 is read in names

Japanese names use readings that appear nowhere else in the language. These are 耳's — the reason personal and place names are so hard to read even for native speakers.

がみ
同音 · Sound-alikes

Kanji that sound like 耳

Japanese has far more kanji than syllables, so one reading is shared by many characters. These are the ones you will confuse with 耳 — learn them together, not separately.

画数 · 6 strokes

Other 6-stroke kanji

Useful when looking a character up by stroke count — and a common source of visual mix-ups.

頻度 · Frequency

Next in the frequency list

耳 is the 1297th most common kanji in written Japanese. Learning in frequency order is the fastest route to reading real text.

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質問 · Questions

About the kanji 耳

What does the kanji 耳 mean?

耳 means Ear. It is the 1297th most common kanji in written Japanese.

How do you read the kanji 耳?

耳 is read on'yomi (Chinese-derived) じ; kun'yomi (native Japanese) みみ.

How many strokes does 耳 have?

耳 is written with 6 strokes. The animated diagram on this page shows the correct order.

What level is the kanji 耳?

It appears at JLPT level N3, and Japanese schoolchildren learn it in grade 1.

What is the radical of 耳?

The radical of 耳 is 耳 (ear), radical number 128 of the 214 Kangxi radicals. The radical is the component a dictionary files the character under, and it usually points at the character's meaning.

What words use the kanji 耳?

Common words written with 耳 include 耳目 (じもく, eyes and ears; seeing and hearing; one's attention); 中耳炎 (ちゅうじえん, otitis media; middle-ear infection); 耳打 (みみうち, whispering into a person's ear).

Which kanji sound the same as 耳?

耳 shares a reading with 二 (じ), 時 (じ), 事 (じ), 自 (じ), 地 (じ), among others. Same-sounding kanji are one of the most common sources of confusion in Japanese.

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