ほうれい線せん

ほ

う

れ

い

せ

ん

Meanings

1

noun

nasolabial fold; smile line; laugh line

Refers to the lines that run from the sides of the nose to the corners of the mouth. Common in beauty and skincare contexts. The medical term is 鼻唇溝 (びしんこう).

Kanji

線line, track
法method, law, rule
令orders, laws, command
豊bountiful, excellent, rich
麗lovely, beautiful, graceful
齢age

Related words

鼻び唇しん溝こう
Medical/anatomical term for the same feature; ほうれい線 is the everyday word.

Written forms

ほうれい線せん
Most common spelling; uses 線 for 'line' and kana for the rest.
法ほう令れい線せん
Kanji spelling using 法令 (law/ordinance), but this is a phonetic use (ateji) unrelated to the meaning.
豊ほう麗れい線せん
Rare ateji spelling using 豊 (abundant) and 麗 (lovely), sometimes seen in cosmetic contexts.
豊ほう齢れい線せん
Rare ateji spelling using 豊 (abundant) and 齢 (age), sometimes seen in cosmetic contexts.

Etymology

The origin of ほうれい is uncertain. The kanji spellings 法令, 豊麗, and 豊齢 are ateji (phonetic equivalents) and do not reflect the meaning. The word is commonly written with 線 (line).