耳朵
ěrduo
The English word 'ear' is translated into Chinese as 耳朵 (ěrduo). Wiktionary also lists 耳 (ěr).
Meaning: organ of hearing (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 耳朵 | ěrduo |
| 耳 | ěr |
The term refers to the organ of hearing. In common usage, you will often see the phrase 耳边, which literally means 'ear side' and is used to mean 'at' or 'in' one's ear, such as when someone is whispering or shouting.
Which one should you use?
耳朵 is the standard, full noun used in everyday spoken and written Chinese.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
ěrduo
Did you know?
- In some classical Chinese texts, the character 耳 can function as a grammatical particle meaning 'that is all' or 'nothing more'.
- In traditional Chinese medicine, the ear is seen as a map of the entire body, with different parts of the ear reflecting different internal organs.
- The character 耳 is a pictogram that originated as a direct drawing of a human ear.
Examples in context
- 別在我耳邊大叫。Do not yell into my ear.The first sentence is useful for expressing that someone should not yell into your 耳.Tatoeba #5500591 by egg0073, translation #5573316 by n1ls
- 我凑到你耳边说。Let me whisper in your ear.The second sentence is useful for describing the act of whispering in someone's 耳.Tatoeba #13922428 by jan_OkulaJu, translation #3726256 by CM
- 他把耳朵貼在門上聽。He listened with his ear to the door.The third sentence is useful for describing how someone listened with their 耳朵 to a door.Tatoeba #6091761 by verdastelo9604, translation #291898 by CK
- 他的耳朵很大。His ears are big.
- 看医生前，你要先清洁耳朵。Before seeing the doctor, you should clean your ears first.
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Wei and Xiaowen are looking at a cute puppy.
- 伟 Wei這隻小狗的耳朵好長。Zhè zhī xiǎogǒu de ěrduo hǎo cháng.This puppy's ears are so long.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen對啊，它的耳朵很可愛。Duì a, tā de ěrduo hěn kě'ài.Yes, its ears are very cute.
- 伟 Wei妳看，牠的耳朵在動。Nǐ kàn, tā de ěrduo zài dòng.Look, its ears are moving.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen真討人喜歡！Zhēn tǎorén xǐhuan!So lovely!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ear” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 耳, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
