耸 (sǒng) is a Chinese character meaning “to tower”. It is written from 从 (to follow; two people one behind the other) and 耳 (ear), one above the other, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “to rise high; to shrug”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
从 + 耳
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字：聳，从耳，從省聲（简化字 耸 以「从」代「從」）；现代字形按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画 0–3=从、4–9=耳 核对
Memory aid
To follow (从) a sound, you lift your ears (耳) up high — 耸 is to rise up high, or to raise your shoulders.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 耸立sǒng lìto tower; to stand tall耸 = sǒng
- 耸肩sǒng jiānto shrug (one's shoulders)耸 = sǒng
Go deeper
All readings
to rise high; to shrug
to tower; to rise high; to shrug (the shoulders); to alarm
高高地直立；向上抬起（如肩膀）；也指使人吃惊。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 耸立sǒng lìto tower; to stand tall耸 = sǒng
- 耸肩sǒng jiānto shrug (one's shoulders)耸 = sǒng
Sound component
从 family onset shift
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 耸 mean?
耸 (sǒng) means to tower; to rise high; to shrug (the shoulders); to alarm.
How do you pronounce 耸?
It is pronounced sǒng.
What parts is 耸 made of?
从 (to follow; two people one behind the other) and 耳 (ear), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字：聳，从耳，從省聲（简化字 耸 以「从」代「從」）；现代字形按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画 0–3=从、4–9=耳 核对. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 耸 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 耸?
耳. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 耸?
Common ones are 耸立 and 耸肩. The reading of 耸 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.