耳朵
ear
ěrduo
What does 耳朵 mean?
耳朵 (ěrduo) is the everyday word for 'ear,' the body part. The second character 朵 is read in the neutral tone in this word — ěrduo, not ěrduǒ — which is typical of two-syllable body-part nouns like 鼻子 (bízi, nose) and 脑袋 (nǎodai, head). In formal or written Chinese, just 耳 (ěr) is used (as in 耳机 ěrjī 'earphones,' 耳环 ěrhuán 'earrings'), but in conversation you almost always say the full 耳朵.
Like 'ear' in English, 耳朵 also appears in many idiomatic expressions about listening — 耳朵尖 (sharp-eared, perceptive), 耳朵软 (easily swayed by what others say). The measure word is 只 for a single ear and 对 for a pair.
Character breakdown
ear (pictograph of an ear)
a measure word for flowers; here a noun suffix
Memory hook: 耳 looks like a stylized ear from the side. 朵 turns the bare character into the everyday spoken noun, much like 子 in 鼻子 ('nose').
Measure word for 耳朵
Example sentences
我的耳朵有点儿疼。
Wǒ de ěrduo yǒudiǎnr téng.
My ear hurts a bit.
spoken
他的耳朵很尖，什么都听得见。
Tā de ěrduo hěn jiān, shénme dōu tīng de jiàn.
He has sharp ears — he can hear everything.
neutral
外面太吵了，我捂上耳朵。
Wàimiàn tài chǎo le, wǒ wǔ shàng ěrduo.
It's too noisy outside, so I covered my ears.
spoken
兔子有两只长耳朵。
Tùzi yǒu liǎng zhī cháng ěrduo.
Rabbits have two long ears.
neutral
请你大声一点，我耳朵不太好。
Qǐng nǐ dàshēng yìdiǎn, wǒ ěrduo bú tài hǎo.
Please speak a bit louder — my hearing isn't great.
polite
Common phrases with 耳朵
Synonyms
耳 alone is the literary / compounding form, used in words like 耳机 ('earphones') and 中耳 ('middle ear'). For the standalone noun in conversation, always say 耳朵.