耳

音読おんよみ: ジ

訓読くんよみ: みみ

画数かくすう: 6

部首ぶしゅ: みみ（耳）

Meaning

Ear / Hearing

  • 耳元みみもと — near the ear
  • 耳鼻科じびか — ear, nose, and throat department
  • 耳障みみざわり — grating to the ear; unpleasant to hear
  • 早耳はやみみ — someone who hears news quickly
  • 耳学問みみがくもん — knowledge gained by hearsay
  • 寝耳ねみみに水みず — a complete surprise
Compound - tap to expand
  • 耳打みみうち — whisper
  • 耳みみにする — happen to hear
  • 耳みみに入はいる — come to one’s ears
  • 耳みみを澄すます — listen carefully
  • 耳みみを傾かたむける — lend an ear
  • 耳みみを貸かす — listen sympathetically
  • 耳みみを疑うたがう — doubt one’s ears

The kanji 耳 visually resembles the shape of an ear. In idioms like 耳寄りみみより (good news), it reflects how ears are used not only to hear but also to catch valuable information.

Another example is 耳学問みみがくもん — which means “secondhand knowledge” or learning by overhearing, without formal study.

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