耻 (chǐ) is a Chinese character meaning “shame”. It is written from 耳 (ear) and 止 (stop), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “shame”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
耳 + 止
Left–right structure
Structure from: IDS 现代字形拆分 ⿰耳止；与 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–5 为「耳」（6 笔），笔画 6–9 为「止」（4 笔），合计 10 笔。部件表意/表音角色未核实，留作 unknown
Memory aid
An ear (耳) next to 止 "stop": when you hear words that make your ears burn, you stop in your tracks — that hot feeling is shame.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 羞耻xiū chǐshame; sense of shame耻 = chǐ
- 无耻wú chǐshameless耻 = chǐ
- 耻辱chǐ rǔshame; disgrace; humiliation耻 = chǐspoken aschí rǔ
Go deeper
All readings
shame
shame; disgrace; humiliation; to feel ashamed
羞愧；耻辱，可耻的事。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 羞耻xiū chǐshame; sense of shame耻 = chǐ
- 无耻wú chǐshameless耻 = chǐ
- 耻辱chǐ rǔshame; disgrace; humiliation耻 = chǐspoken aschí rǔ
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 耻 mean?
耻 (chǐ) means shame; disgrace; humiliation; to feel ashamed.
How do you pronounce 耻?
It is pronounced chǐ.
What parts is 耻 made of?
耳 (ear) and 止 (stop), side by side. The recorded source is: IDS 现代字形拆分 ⿰耳止；与 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–5 为「耳」（6 笔），笔画 6–9 为「止」（4 笔），合计 10 笔。部件表意/表音角色未核实，留作 unknown. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 耻 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 耻?
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 耻?
Common ones are 羞耻 and 无耻. The reading of 耻 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.