Onyomi: ハイ · Kunyomi: せ, せい, そむ.く, そむ.ける · Meanings: back, behind, defy, disobey, go back on, height, rebel, stature
Kanji for back, behind, defy, disobey, go back on
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The kanji 背 is made from the flesh/body radical 月 on the left and 北 on the right. 月 represents the body or flesh, while 北 originally showed two people back-to-back, symbolizing opposition or distance. Combined, the kanji gives the image of a human back — the part of the body opposite the front — and also conveys the idea of height or distance from someone or something. Over time, 背 came to represent the physical back, as well as abstract notions like height, backing, or turning away.
Body/flesh (月) combined with people back-to-back (北) — representing the human back or height/distance.
Imagine two people standing back-to-back (北) showing the backside of the body (月). That’s 背 — the back or height/distance.
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Meta |
|---|---|---|---|
| 背 | せ | back | common JLPT-N5 Noun |
| 背 | せい | height, stature | common JLPT-N3 Noun |
| 背 | そびら | back (of the body) | Noun |
| 背広 | せびろ | business suit | common JLPT-N5 Noun |
| 背中 | せなか | back (of the body) | common JLPT-N4 Noun |
| 背負う | せおう | to carry on one's back | common JLPT-N2 JLPT-N1 Godan verb with 'u' ending, Transitive verb |
| 背景 | はいけい | background, scenery, backdrop, setting | common JLPT-N1 Noun |
| 背後 | はいご | back, rear | common JLPT-N1 Noun, Noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no' |
| 背く | そむく | to run counter to, to go against, to disobey, to infringe | common JLPT-N1 Godan verb with 'ku' ending, Intransitive verb |
| 背泳ぎ | せおよぎ | backstroke (swimming) | common Noun |