顔（かお）
JLPT N5 · noun
Pitch accent: heiban (flat) — starts low, stays high, no drop
Meaning: face
Example sentences
- 朝起きたら、まず顔を洗う。 — When I wake up in the morning, I wash my face first.
- 恥ずかしくて顔が赤くなった。 — My face turned red from embarrassment.
Idioms & proverbs containing “顔”
- 仏の顔も三度 (ほとけのかおもさんど) — even the patience of a saint eventually runs out; (if you touch) the Buddha's face three times (he will get annoyed)
- 猫が顔を洗うと雨が降る (ねこがかおをあらうとあめがふる) — if a cat washes its face, rain is coming
- 借りる時の地蔵顔、済す時の閻魔顔 (かりるときのじぞうがお、なすときのえんまがお) — people look friendly when they ask for a loan but not so much when they repay it; when borrowing (the money), the face of the (bodhisattva) Kshitigarbha; when returning it, the face of the (hell king) Yama
- 厚顔無恥 (こうがんむち) — shameless; brazen and unscrupulous
- 破顔一笑 (はがんいっしょう) — smiling broadly
- 破顔大笑 (はがんたいしょう) — breaking into a hearty laugh
Related words
See it used in real works
- Example sentences from Japanese novels & web fiction (Massif)
- Hear “顔” pronounced in real videos (YouGlish)