facing upward; on one's back
Describes a position where the face or front side is turned upward. Often used with verbs like 寝る, 倒れる, or する to indicate lying on one's back.
See also: うつむき
He was lying on his back.
Please lay the baby on its back.
Standard kanji spelling for 'facing upward'.
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially when the kanji is not needed.
Compound of 仰 (ao, 'upward') + 向き (muki, 'direction, facing'). The reading あおむき is standard.