せ

See also: ぜ, せ゚, ㄝ, and 也

せ U+305B, せ HIRAGANA LETTER SE ← ず [U+305A] Hiragana ぜ → [U+305C]

Japanese

Stroke order

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [se̞]

Etymology 1

Derived in the Heian period from writing the man'yōgana kanji 世 in the cursive sōsho style.

Syllable

せ (romaji se)

1. The hiragana syllable せ (se). Its equivalent in katakana is セ (se). It is the fourteenth syllable in the gojūon order; its position is さ行え段 (sa-gyō e-dan, “row sa, section e”).

Derived terms

• ぜ (ze)

See also

• (Hiragana) 平仮名; あぁ, いぃ, うぅゔ, えぇ, おぉ, かゕが, きぎ, くぐ, けゖげ, こ𛄲 (𛄲)ご, さざ, しじ, すず, せぜ, そぞ, ただ, ちぢ, つっづ, てで, とど, な, に, ぬ, ね, の, はばぱ, ひびぴ, ふぶぷ, へべぺ, ほぼぽ, ま, み, む, め, も, やゃ, 𛀆, ゆゅ, 𛀁, よょ, らら゚, りり゚, るる゚, れれ゚, ろろ゚, わゎわ゙, ゐ𛅐 (𛅐)ゐ゙, 𛄟 (𛄟), ゑ𛅑 (𛅑)ゑ゙, を𛅒 (𛅒)を゙, ん, ー, ゝ, ゞ, ゟ

Etymology 2

Alternative spellings
背 脊

Alternative forms

• (one's height): せい (sei)

Pronunciation

• (one's back; the rear of something):

• (Tokyo) せ [sè] (Heiban – [0])
• (Tokyo) せ [séꜜ] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [se̞]

• (one's height):

• (Tokyo) せ [séꜜ] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [se̞]

Noun

せ • (se) 

1. one's back (part of the human body)
2. one's height

   田(た)中(なか)さんは背(せ)が高(たか)い。

   Tanaka-san wa se ga takai.

   Tanaka is tall.

3. the rear of something, the area behind

Synonyms

• (part of the body): 背(せ)中(なか) (senaka)

Etymology 3

Alternative spelling
瀬

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) せ [sè] (Heiban – [0])
• (Tokyo) せ [séꜜ] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [se̞]

Noun

せ • (se) 

1. rapids, current

Etymology 4

Kansai variant of そう.

Adverb

せ • (se) 

1. (Kansai) thus

   せやな。

   Se ya na.

   That is so. ("You're right", etc.)

Etymology 5

Alternative spelling
畝

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) せ [séꜜ] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [se̞]

Noun

せ • (se) 

1. se (Japanese unit of area)

Usage notes

Different from the Chinese 畝 (ho, “mu”).