尾
tail, end, counter for fish, lower slope of mountain
Readings
On'yomi
- ビ
Kun'yomi
- お
Meaning
尾 centers on the rear or trailing part of something: an animal's tail, the end of a process, or the lower slope of a mountain. The counter-for-fish sense is a natural extension of counting by tails.
Most common words using 尾
20 of 177- 尾おN2
tail (of an animal); cauda
- 尻尾しっぽN3
tail (of an animal)
- 語尾ごび
(inflectional) ending of a word
- 尾根おね
(mountain) ridge
- 交尾こうび
copulation (among animals); mating; treading; covering; serving
- 末尾まつび
end (e.g. of report, document, paragraph, etc.)
- 追尾ついび
following; pursuing; tracking; shadowing; tailing; chasing
- 後尾こうび
the rear
- 尾行びこう
shadow; tail; following
- 尾張おわり
Owari (former province located in the west of present-day Aichi Prefecture)
- 首尾しゅび
beginning and end; from beginning to end
- 船尾せんび
stern
- 尾翼びよく
tail (of an aircraft); empennage; tail assembly
- 交尾むつるむ
to copulate (animals); to mate
- 尾羽おは
tail and feathers
- 尾羽おばね
tail feathers
- 徹頭徹尾てっとうてつび
thoroughly; through and through; out and out; in every way; from beginning to end; from start to finish
- 尾長おなが
azure-winged magpie (Cyanopica cyana)
- 鳩尾みぞおち
pit of the stomach; solar plexus
- 尾花おばな
(ear of) Japanese pampas grass
Study
Etymology
尾 combines 尸 (a body or person) with 毛 (hair), suggesting the hairy tail of an animal attached to the body.
Meaning mnemonic
A body (尸) with a hairy tuft (毛) at the back: that's a tail. Picture a dog's tail wagging behind its body.
Reading mnemonic
For ビ, imagine a bee buzzing around the tail of a cow: bee -> ビ, and the cow swishes its tail to shoo it away.