碧
blue, green
Readings
On'yomi
- ヘキ
- ヒャク
Kun'yomi
—
Nanori
- みどり
- あお
- たま
Meaning
碧 centers on a deep, jewel-like blue-green color, often associated with precious stones or clear water. The given meanings 'blue' and 'green' are both natural applications of this rich, blended hue.
Most common words using 碧
- 碧眼へきがん
blue eyes
- 紺碧こんぺき
deep blue; azure
- 碧玉へきぎょく
jasper
- 碧海へきかい
blue sea; blue expanse of water
- 碧空へきくう
blue sky; azure sky
- 三碧さんぺき
third of nine traditional astrological signs (corresponding to Jupiter and east)
- 丹碧たんぺき
red and green
- 桑田碧海そうでんへきかい
the world is a scene of constant changes (as a mulberry field changing into a blue sea)
- 碧山へきざん
green mountains
- 碧巌録へきがんろく
Blue Cliff Record; Biyan Lu (collection of Zen Buddhist koans compiled in China during the Song Dynasty)
- 碧水へきすい
blue water; green water
- 碧眼紅毛へきがんこうもう
blue eyes and red hair; Westerner
- 碧色へきしょく
green; emerald
- 碧螺春へきらしゅん
biluochun (green tea var. grown in Jiangsu, China)
- 碧雲へきうん
bluish cloud
- 紅毛碧眼こうもうへきがん
red-haired and blue-eyed (person); a Westerner
- 金髪碧眼きんぱつへきがん
blonde hair and blue eyes
- 黄碧玉こうへきぎょく
yellow jasper; beryl
Study
Etymology
碧 combines 珀 (a jewel-like substance) with 石 (stone), suggesting a precious blue-green stone. The exact historical development is uncertain, but the association with gemstones is well established.
Meaning mnemonic
The top 珀 looks like a jewel, and the bottom 石 is a stone. Picture a beautiful blue-green gemstone embedded in rock: 碧 is that deep, precious color.
Reading mnemonic
For ヘキ, imagine a hiker discovering a blue-green gemstone on a mountain trail: hiker -> ヘキ, and the stone's color is 碧.