Japanese symbol for “ear”
耳
みみ
Romaji: mimi
ear
In Japanese, ear is 耳, read みみ (mimi).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n ear
- n hearing
- n ear (for music, etc.)
- n edge; crust; heel (of bread or cheese); selvedge (of woven fabric); selvage
- n ear (of a pot, jug, etc.); handle
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “ear”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 穂 | ほ ho | ear (of a cereal plant); head; spike |
| イヤ | イヤ iya | ear |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 耳元 | みみもと mimimoto | close to the ear |
| 耳目 | じもく jimoku | eyes and ears; seeing and hearing |
| 耳障り | みみざわり mimizawari | hard (on the ears); offensive (to the ear); rasping |
| 中耳炎 | ちゅうじえん chuujien | otitis media; middle-ear infection |
| 初耳 | はつみみ hatsumimi | something heard for the first time; hearing something for the first time |
| 内耳 | ないじ naiji | inner ear |
See also: Chinese symbol for “ear”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.