Meanings Jump to a sense… 1. skin; hide; pelt 2. peel; rind; husk; bark 3. outer covering; casing; wrapper; sheath 4. mask; false appearance; seeming Usage patterns 皮かわ が 厚あつ い to have thick skin (literally, or figuratively shameless/thick-skinned)
This mandarin has thick skin and is hard to peel.
皮かわ がむける for skin to peel off (e.g. after sunburn)
The skin on my sunburned shoulders started peeling.
〈 物もの 〉 の 皮かわ で 〈 物もの 〉 を 巻ま く to wrap something in a wrapper/casing
I wrapped the filling in spring roll wrappers and fried it.
Expressions· 25 嘘うそ の 皮かわ total lie; complete fabrication 皮かわ ごと with the skin on; skin and all Show 4 more Show fewer 骨ほね と 皮かわ skin and bones; nothing but skin and bones 皮かわ を 剥は ぐ to skin; to peel off the skin 皮かわ を 被かぶ る hide one's true self; feign friendliness; play the hypocrite See all 25 in Explore →
Related words 肌 refers mainly to human skin and complexion, while 皮 is broader and can also mean animal hide, fruit peel, or bark.
皮 is the general word for skin, peel, or rind of anything, while 樹皮 specifically names the bark of a tree.
袋 is used for the skin of a fruit when it peels off as a whole pouch-like piece, while 皮 is the general word for skin or peel of any fruit or vegetable.
Don't confuse with· 7 皮 and 革 are pronounced identically, but 皮 means skin, hide, or peel while 革 refers specifically to processed leather as a material.
殻 is a hard shell like an eggshell or nutshell, whereas 皮 describes a soft, flexible peel or skin that can be peeled off.
皮 (かわ ) means 'skin' or 'peel', while 側 is usually read がわ and means 'side'; the rare かわ reading of 側 can cause confusion with 皮 .
Show 4 more Show fewer 川 (river) and 皮 (skin, peel) are pronounced identically but refer to completely unrelated things, distinguished only by kanji and context.
皮 refers to raw, unprocessed skin or peel, while 皮革 specifically means leather that has been tanned and processed for use.
皮 usually refers to the skin or peel of animals, fruits, or objects, while 皮膚 is reserved for human (or animal) skin as a living organ.
皮 is a general word for skin, peel, or rind, while 毛皮 specifically denotes an animal's fur-covered pelt.
Word family· 54 fur; pelt; skin · kanji 'fur' radical
beginning; start; first in a series
barfin flounder
outer layer; skin; bark; rind; crust; film; scum · epithelium
thin skin; thin membrane; thin outer layer
Show 13 more Show fewer thread-sail filefish · skinning; stripping bark; skinner; barker
over-optimistic calculation; counting one's chickens before they're hatched
rawhide
eta; lowly people (Edo period)
outer layer; veneer; one skin
thick hide; shamelessness
thin inner membrane of a bamboo shoot tip
pick-guard; protective patch
cedar bark
astringent inner skin of a chestnut
protective cover on a clog
cuticle; nail cuticle · endocarp
leather goods
See all 54 in Explore →
Etymology The reading かわ is the regular Japanese reading associated with 皮 . The kanji 皮 conventionally represents skin or an outer covering; the exact historical derivation of the Japanese word is not specified.
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