This is the 168th most frequent Japanese word.
聞い
The word "聞い" is the stem form of "聞く" (kiku), meaning "to hear" or "to listen."
In this context, '聞い' refers to actively listening to something with attention.
彼女の話を聞いました。
I listened to her story.
Here, '聞い' is used to describe perceiving a sound.
その音を聞いたかい？
Did you hear that sound?
In this example, '聞い' implies asking or inquiring about something.