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Kanji Detail for 顔 - "face, expression"

顔

  • Meaning

    顔 means "face, expression." Also associated with color.

    1. Face - The front of the head; the forehead.

    2. Expression - Facial appearance; complexion.

    3. Color - Hue; coloring; tint.

  • Words using 顔

    • 知らん顔 しらんかお Listen feigned ignorance; pretending not to know; pretending not to recognize (someone)
    • 笑顔 えがお Listen smiling face; smile
    • 似顔 にがお Listen portrait; likeness
    • 顔ぶれ かおぶれ Listen personnel; members; lineup (of a team)
    • 素顔 すがお Listen face with no make-up; unpainted face; true face (of a country, celebrity, etc.)
    • 顔色 かおいろ Listen complexion; skin tone; skin colour
    • 顔合わせ かおあわせ Listen (preliminary) meeting; face-to-face introduction; costarring
    • 顔面 がんめん Listen face (of person)

  • Four-character idioms with 顔

    • 厚顔無恥 こうがんむち Listen shameless; brazen and unscrupulous
    • 和顔愛語 わがんあいご Listen with a gentle face and a nice word
    • 破顔一笑 はがんいっしょう Listen smiling broadly
    • 破顔大笑 はがんたいしょう Listen breaking into a hearty laugh
    • 紅顔可憐 こうがんかれん Listen youthful and endearing; rosy-cheeked and sweet
    • 顔面蒼白 がんめんそうはく Listen one's face turning pale (ashen); the color being drained from one's face

  • Origin of 顔

    彦 — the fine brow of a handsome man, lending the reading gan — beside 頁, the head: the face as its expression. Not the skull; the look on it.

    How to remember it: Not the head 頁 itself — the handsome 彦 part you turn toward people: the face.

    Sources: en.wiktionary.org · mojinavi.com

  • Tattoo check: 顔

    • Verified meaning: face, expression
    • Official Jōyō kanji — a standard character every Japanese reader recognises
    • Used in real Japanese given names (read か, かお, がん, やん)
    • Also carries these associations: color

    A single kanji rarely maps one-to-one onto an English word. Read the meanings and associations above as a set — a character that fits the dictionary definition can still carry a connotation you did not intend.

  • Name readings of 顔

    Given names 顔(がん)Listen

    Surnames 顔(か)Listen 顔(かお)Listen 顔(やん)Listen

  • Dictionary Citations

    The meaning above is based on the following sources:

    KANJIDIC2 A comprehensive Japanese-English kanji dictionary

    face; expression

    Unihan Unicode Han Database for CJK characters

    face, facial appearance

    CC-CEDICT A Chinese-English dictionary

    Japanese variant of 顏|颜[yan2]

  • Onyomi

    tip

    gan(ガン) ガン

  • Kunyomi

    tip

    kao(かお) かお

  • Strokes

    tip

    18 strokes

  • Radical

    tip

    頁 (ogai・ichinokai)

  • Related Keywords

    face expression color cheeks forehead appearance complexion countenance features look visage aspect demeanor mien profile facial front semblance bearing hue tint presence

Sentences including 顔

  • Why does he look grumpy?

  • She looked terrible at that time.

  • You're being bossy , aren't you?

  • He had an absent look on his face.

  • As soon as he saw me , he ran away.

  • She looked sad.

  • His face turned pale on hearing the news.

  • His face expresses joy.

  • She has a charming face.

  • They looked at each other.

Sentences from Japanese classical masterpieces

More kanji with the radical 頁 (ogai・ichinokai)

See all kanji with this radical →

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