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背
🇹🇼🇭🇰🇨🇳🇯🇵🇰🇷

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HSK 2 N2
Human →Body →Body Parts
bèi, bēi
ハイ
せ、せい、そむ.く、そむ.ける
배, 패
Phonosemantic compound. ⺼ represents the meaning and 北 represents the sound.
Components
⺼ meat (side)+ 北 north =
背 back
⺼ Meaning component
ròu meat (side)
meat
⺼ is a component form of 肉.
北 Phonetic component
běi north
北 also serves as a meaning component.
View phonetic series →
Notes
Similar Characters
媠 lazy育 education冑 helmet (trad)朊 protein肋 chest肌 muscle肓 region between heart肘 elbow肚 belly肛 anus肜 to sacrifice on肝 liver肟 an organic compound肠 emotions (simp)股 thigh肢 limb肤 superficial (simp)肩 shoulder肪 animal fat肫 the gizzard of a fowl
Historical Evolution
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Seal
Shuowen (~100 AD)
背
Regular
Modern
Chinese
背 [bēi]
to be burdened; to carry on the back or shoulder
背 [bèi]
the back of a body or object; to turn one's back; to hide something from; to learn by heart; to recite from memory; unlucky (slang); hard of hearing
Japanese
背 、 脊 (rare) せ 同音

noun

  1. back
  2. reverse; rear side; back (e.g. of a chair); spine (of a book)
  3. height; stature
  4. ridge (of a mountain)
背 そびら 同音
noun dated back (of the body)
背 、 脊 (rare) せい 同音
noun height; stature
Example Sentences
🇯🇵 (4)
首や背に太陽が暑く照りつけた。
The sun beat down on our necks and backs.
彼はいすの背にもたれている。
He is leaning on the back of the chair.
彼らは絶景を背にして立った。
They stood against the picturesque scenery.
トムはジャックと背が同じくらいだ。
Tom is as tall as Jack.
CHINESE WORDS (200)
背景 [bèi​jǐng] #2,781
background
背后 [bèi​hòu] #2,171
behind
背后 [bèi​hòu] #2,171
behind
背叛 [bèi​pàn] #1,754
to betray
违背 [wéi​bèi] #5,029
to go against
违背 [wéi​bèi] #5,029
to go against
背包 [bēi​bāo] #5,761
knapsack
后背 [hòu​bèi] #6,278
the back (human anatomy)
后背 [hòu​bèi] #6,278
the back (human anatomy)
背部 [bèi​bù] #8,713
back (of a human or other vertebrate, or of an object)
190 more items
JAPANESE WORDS (200)
⭐ 背中 [せなか] #638
back (of the body)
⭐ 背後 [はいご] #1,403
back
⭐ 背 [せ] #1,604
back
⭐ 背負う [せおう] #1,833
to carry on one's back
⭐ 背景 [はいけい] #2,997
background
背を向ける [せをむける] #3,378
to pretend not to see
⭐ 背筋 [せすじ] #3,462
spine
背の高い [せのたかい] #6,045
tall (of a person)
背中を押す [せなかをおす] #6,613
to push someone (towards)
背伸び [せのび] #7,264
standing on tiptoe and stretching one's back to make oneself taller
190 more items
KOREAN WORDS (13)
배신자 #12,069
betrayer; traitor
배신 #22,319
betrayal; treachery
배치 #25,457
inconsistency; contradiction
배경 #31,800
background
배경 음악
background music
배낭
backpack; knapsack
배산임수
mountain in the back and a river in the front
배수
having water in the back
배영
backstroke
배후
rear; back
3 more items