洱 (ěr): used in place names, esp. Erhai…

Meanings

洱海就在大理古城旁边。

Ěrhǎi jiù zài dà lǐ gǔchéng pángbiān.

Erhai Lake lies right next to the old town of Dali.

我们骑车绕洱海骑了一整天。

Wǒmen qí chē rào Ěrhǎi qí le yì zhěngtiān.

We rode bikes for a whole day around Erhai Lake.

culture

洱海 (Erhai Lake) is a famous ear-shaped highland lake in Yunnan, beside the town of Dali. The character has essentially no use outside this name.

radical

氵 shuǐ

water

The three-drop water radical, the left-side form of 水. It marks 洱 as a body of water, which fits its only real use: naming Erhai Lake.

phonetic

耳 ěr

ear

Gives both the sound ěr and, by lucky coincidence, a hint at the lake's ear-like shape. Standalone 耳 keeps the same reading.

洱 ěr