ひげ

Japanese

Etymology 1

Alternative spellings
髭 鬚 髯

From Old Japanese.

The ge element is likely related to 毛 (ke, “hair, fur”), but further etymology is uncertain. Possibilities include:

• Shift from hohoge (頬 (hoho, “cheek”) + 毛 (ke)) or from hirege (鰭 (hire, “fin”) + 毛 (ke)). Both theories are unlikely unless the term originally referred only to cheek hair.
• Shift from hirakuke (開く (hiraku, “to open”) + 毛 (ke)), literally, “hair of the opening”. This would include other hair around the mouth, although “opening” being used to mean the mouth is unlikely.
• Shift from hege (辺 (he) + 毛 (ke)) or herige (縁 (heri, “edge”) + 毛 (ke)), literally, “edge hair”. Compare 唇 (kuchiberi) being from 口 (kuchi, “mouth”) + 縁 (heri), literally, “mouth edge”.
• The hi element being cognate with Korean 입 (ip, “mouth”).

First attested in the Nihon Shoki of 720 CE.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) ひげ [hìgé] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [çiɡe̞]

Noun

ひげ • (hige) 

1. (broadly) facial hair on the upper lip region, the chin, and the cheeks

   ひげを蓄(たくわ)える ― hige o takuwaeru ― to grow facial hair

   ひげを当(あ)たる ― hige o ataru ― to shave one's face

   • 794, Shin'yaku Kegonkyō Ongi Shiki:

     鬚髻 上栗喩反 頤毛也 倭云加末智乃比偈 又花蘂之本也 髻髪也

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   1. 髭: mustache

      Synonym: 口髭 (kuchihige)

   2. 鬚: beard, goatee (chin hair)

      Synonym: 顎鬚 (agohige)

   3. 髯: sideburns, whiskers (cheek hair)

      Synonym: 頬髯 (hōhige)

2. (figurative) whiskers (of animals)
   • 1905–06, Natsume Sōseki, I Am a Cat (text here)

     彼(かれ)の鼻(はな)の先(さき)からぴんと突(つっ)張(ぱ)っている長(なが)い髭(ひげ)をびりびりと震(ふる)わせて非(ひ)常(じょう)に笑(わら)った。

     Kare no hana no saki kara pin to tsuppatteiru nagai hige o biribiri to furuwasete hijō ni waratta.

     He stuck out his whiskers and laughed so hard that they trembled.

3. (figurative) antennae (of insects)
4. (figurative) corn silk

Usage notes

• Different senses are specified by location (e.g. 口髭 (kuchihige, “mustache”)) or by use of different kanji—the mustache is 髭, the chin hair is 鬚, and the cheek hair is 髯.
• When written using kana alone, vaguely refers to the mustache, the chin hair, and the cheek hair as a whole without distinguishing.

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 顎鬚(あごひげ) (agohige, “chin hair”)
• 鯨鬚(くじらひげ) (kujirahige, “baleen, whalebone”)
• 口髭(くちひげ) (kuchihige, “moustache”)
• 虎鬚(とらひげ) (torahige)
• 鬚黴(ひげかび) (higekabi, “Phycomyces”)
• 髭雀(ひげがら) (higegara, “bearded tit (Panurus biarmicus)”)
• 髭黒(ひげくろ) (higekuro)
• 鬚鯨(ひげくじら) (higekujira, “baleen whale”)
• 髭剃(ひげそ)り (higesori, “shaving; shaving tool”)
• 髭面(ひげづら) (higezura, “bearded face; bearded person”)
• 鬚根(ひげね) (higene)
• 髭(ひげ)ペンギン (higepengin, “chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarctica)”)
• 髭水蛇(ひげみずへび) (higemizuhebi, “tentacled snake (Erpeton tentaculatum)”)
• 髭(ひげ)もじゃ (higemoja, “bearded one”)
• 髭奴(ひげやっこ) (higeyakko)
• 髭鷲(ひげわし) (higewashi, “bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus)”)
• 無精(ぶしょう)ひげ (bushōhige, “five o'clock shadow”)
• 頬髯(ほおひげ) (hōhige, “cheek hair”)

Idioms

• 髭(ひげ)を撫(な)でる (hige o naderu, “to act boastfully, to show off”, literally “to stroke one's beard”)
• 御髭(おひげ)の塵(ちり)を払(はら)う (ohige no chiri o harau, “to flatter, to curry favor”, literally “to brush the dirt of the beard”)

Proverbs

• 竜(りゅう)の鬚(ひげ)を撫(な)で虎(とら)の尾(お)を踏(ふ)む (ryū no hige o nade tora no o o fumu, literally “stroke the beard of a dragon, tread on the tail of a tiger”)

Etymology 2

For pronunciation and definitions of ひげ – see the following entry.

【卑下】 [noun] humility [verb] to humble oneself

(This term, ひげ, is the hiragana spelling of the above term.) For a list of all kanji read as ひげ, see Category:Japanese kanji read as ひげ.)