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Kotomora

碧

blue, green

JLPTN1StatusJinmeiyōFrequencyTop 5,000Strokes14

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

Explore all words using 碧 →

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.