This list covers 33 Chinese words that start with the letter E, running alphabetically from “Èr” to “Ēndiǎn”. These words span numbers, family terms, emotions, animals, and everyday objects, and you’ll run into most of them in daily conversation, from counting apples to describing a sore ear. Together they show how a single starting sound can lead to such different meanings and uses.

Chinese words are units of meaning built from one or more characters, each carrying its own pronunciation and tone. Many, like “èr” for two, are among the first characters students learn, while others, like “Éguó” for Russia, reveal how the language absorbs foreign names through sound rather than translation.

Below you’ll find the table with the word, English translation, Mandarin spelling, example usage, and description for each entry.

Word: the romanized (pinyin) form of each Chinese word, showing you exactly how to pronounce it, tones included.

English translation: a short, direct translation so you can quickly grasp what each word means in everyday English.

Mandarin spelling: the original Chinese characters for the word, useful if you want to read or write it correctly.

Example usage: a real sentence showing the word in context, helping you see how it fits naturally into conversation.

Description: a brief explanation of the word’s meaning, common use, or background, giving you a fuller sense of how and when to use it.

Chinese words

WordEnglish translationMandarin spellingExample usage
ÈrTwo二Wǒ yǒu èr ge píngguǒ (I have two apples)
ÈrshíTwenty二十Tā èrshí suì le (He is twenty years old)
ÈrhúErhu二胡Tā huì lā èrhú (He can play the erhu)
ÈHungry饿Wǒ hěn è (I am very hungry)
ÈEvil恶Zhège rén hěn è (This person is evil)
ÈxinDisgusting / nauseous恶心Zhège wèidào ràng wǒ juéde èxin (This smell makes me feel sick)
ÈmèngNightmare恶梦 / 噩梦Wǒ zuótiān zuò le yí ge èmèng (I had a nightmare yesterday)
ÈlièVile / severe恶劣Tiānqì hěn èliè (The weather is terrible)
ÈxìngMalignant恶性Èxìng zhǒngliú (malignant tumor)
ÈxíngEvil deed恶行Tā de èxíng bèi qǔdì le (His evil deeds were exposed)
ÈzuòjùPractical joke恶作剧Bié gěi wǒ wán èzuòjù (Don’t play pranks on me)
ÈbàLocal tyrant恶霸Cūnli de èbà bèi jǔbào le (The village tyrant was reported)
Èxìng xúnhuánVicious cycle恶性循环Zhè shì yí ge èxìng xúnhuán (This is a vicious cycle)
ÈyùnMisfortune厄运Tā zāoyù le èyùn (He met with misfortune)
ÈzhàExtortion讹诈Tā bèi rén èzhà (He was extorted)
ÉGoose鹅Nàge nóngchǎng yǒu hěn duō é (That farm has many geese)
ÉluósīRussia俄罗斯Éluósī shì shìjiè shàng zuìdà de guójiā (Russia is the largest country in the world)
ÉguóRussia (older term)俄国Éguó gémìng (the Russian Revolution)
ÉyǔRussian (language)俄语Tā huì shuō éyǔ (He can speak Russian)
ĚrEar耳Ěrduo tòng (my ear hurts)
ĚrduoEar耳朵Tā de ěrduo hěn dà (His ears are very big)
ĚrhuánEarrings耳环Tā dài le yí duì ěrhuán (She wore a pair of earrings)
ĚrjīEarphones耳机Wǒ wàng le dài ěrjī (I forgot to bring my earphones)
ĚrmíngTinnitus耳鸣Wǒ zuìjìn yǒu diǎn ěrmíng (I’ve had some ringing in my ears lately)
ĚrguāngSlap on the face耳光Tā gěi le tā yí ge ěrguāng (He gave him a slap)
Ér / ÉrziSon儿子Wǒ de érzi hěn cōngmíng (My son is very smart)
ÉrtóngChildren儿童Értóng xǐhuān wánjù (Children like toys)
ÉrtóngjiéChildren’s Day儿童节Liù yuè yī rì shì értóngjié (June 1st is Children’s Day)
ÉrqiěMoreover而且Tā cōngmíng, érqiě yǒngyǔ gǎn (He’s smart, and moreover, he’s brave)
ĒnKindness / grace恩Tā duì wǒ yǒu ēn (He showed me kindness)
ĒnrénBenefactor恩人Tā shì wǒ de ēnrén (He is my benefactor)
ĒnàiLoving (as a couple)恩爱Tāmen fūqī hěn ēnài (The couple is very loving)
ĒndiǎnGrace / favor恩典Shàngdì de ēndiǎn (God’s grace)

Descriptions

Èr
The Chinese numeral for the number two, one of the very first characters students learn to write.
Èrshí
The Chinese numeral for twenty, built by combining “èr” (two) and “shí” (ten).
Èrhú
A traditional two-stringed bowed instrument prized for its expressive, voice-like tone in Chinese music.
È
A basic adjective for feeling hungry, almost always paired with “hěn” to say “I’m hungry.”
È
A character meaning “evil” or “vicious,” and the root of many negative compound words like 恶心 and 恶劣.
Èxin
A flexible word meaning either physically nauseous or describing something repulsive or gross.
Èmèng
A frightening or unpleasant dream, written with either of two nearly interchangeable character forms.
Èliè
An adjective for something extremely bad in quality or conduct, often used to describe harsh weather.
Èxìng
A medical and everyday adjective meaning “malignant” or “vicious,” best known from the term for a cancerous tumor.
Èxíng
A formal word for a wicked or villainous act, common in news reports and literature.
Èzuòjù
A mischievous prank, most often used when talking about the playful teasing of children or friends.
Èbà
A bully or tyrant who abuses power over a local community, often seen in historical or dramatic stories.
Èxìng xúnhuán
A self-perpetuating negative pattern where one problem keeps causing another, common in economics and health talk.
Èyùn
A literary term for bad luck or calamity that befalls a person.
Èzhà
The act of obtaining money or favors through threats or blackmail, common in legal and news contexts.
É
The word for the large, loud, web-footed bird commonly raised on Chinese farms.
Éluósī
The standard Chinese name for the country of Russia, formed by transliterating the Russian name phonetically.
Éguó
An older but still-used name for Russia, frequently seen in historical texts about the Russian Empire or Soviet era.
Éyǔ
The Chinese term for the Russian language, combining “É” (Russia) with “yǔ” (language).
Ěr
A classical, literary word for “ear,” most often seen as part of compounds like 耳朵 and 耳机.
Ěrduo
The everyday, spoken word for the body part used for hearing.
Ěrhuán
A piece of jewelry worn on the earlobe, common vocabulary for accessories and fashion.
Ěrjī
The everyday word for headphones or earbuds, essential vocabulary in the age of smartphones.
Ěrmíng
A medical term for a persistent ringing or buzzing sound heard in the ears.
Ěrguāng
A slap aimed at someone’s face or ear, a word that shows up often in dramas and conflict scenes.
Ér / Érzi
The standard, everyday word for “son,” used across mainland China in daily conversation.
Értóng
A formal term for “children,” frequently seen on signage, products, and children’s media.
Értóngjié
The annual holiday, celebrated on June 1st, dedicated to honoring and entertaining children.
Érqiě
A common connective word meaning “moreover” or “furthermore,” used to add extra information to a sentence.
Ēn
A word for a favor, kindness, or grace shown by one person to another, often tied to feelings of gratitude.
Ēnrén
Someone who has done a great favor for another person, commonly translated as “benefactor” or “savior.”
Ēnài
A term describing deep mutual affection, most often used to describe a devoted husband-and-wife relationship.
Ēndiǎn
A term for divine grace or favor, most often encountered in religious, especially Christian, contexts.
If you think there is a missing term, let us know using the contact form.