字の旅3,000 years in four forms
Oracle bone · ShangShang · c. 1200 BCE存下73 合4059 賓組
Oracle bone and bronze: Wikimedia Commons, traced from Academia Sinica, CC0. Small seal: Academia Sinica 小學堂, CC0. Today’s form: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0.
部首Radical · in Human Body & People
耳 ear (side form)
みみへん mimihen · side form of 耳 みみ mimi
6 strokesRadical of 6 kanjiPart of 10
Origin · sourced
Pictogram象形
An ear.
Source: Wiktionary, 耳 (rev. 93606014), CC BY-SA 4.0
Memory story · made up to help you remember
“Lend me your ears! This radical brings the power of hearing, the deep act of listening, and the perception of every sound in the environment to its kanji. When it sits on the left, think of listening carefully, specific sounds like shouts or whispers, and the profound "attention" we pay to the world and the people around us. It is the radical of the master listener and the one who pays close attention to the finest details.”
Where it sits in a kanji
Indicates the physical ear and hearing, listening carefully, paying attention, professional jobs (listening to records), or the concept of being "holy" (listening to divine wisdom).
What it grows into
- 聴listenチョウ · きく
耳 + 口
Originally 𦔻, hence ideogrammic compound (會意): 耳 (“ear”) + 口 (“mouth(s)”) – to listen.
Ideogrammic compound · Wiktionary, 聽, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 職postショク
耳 + 戠sound
Phono-semantic compound · Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 聖holyセイ · ひじり
耳 + 呈sound
Phono-semantic compound · Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
Every kanji with 耳 as its radical
All 6 kanji