背せ

noun

back

Refers to a person's or animal's back. In everyday speech 背中 is often more concrete, but 背 is common in set phrases such as 背を丸める and 背に負う.

• 寒さむくて背せを丸まるめて歩あるいた。

  I walked hunched over from the cold.

noun

back side; rear side; back of a chair; spine of a book

Used for the back, rear, or spine-like part of certain objects. It is not a general replacement for 裏; common collocations include 椅子の背 and 本の背.

• 椅い子すの背せにもたれて休やすんだ。

  I rested by leaning against the back of the chair.

• 本ほんの背せに題だい名めいが書かいてある。

  The title is written on the spine of the book.

noun

height; stature

Used especially in the pattern 背が高い／低い for a person's height. It refers to stature rather than altitude or the height of an object.

• 彼かの女じょはクラスでいちばん背せが高たかい。

  She is the tallest in the class.

noun

mountain ridge

A landform use that treats the ridge or crest of a mountain as its 'back.' 尾根 is the more explicit everyday word for a ridge.

• 道みちは山やまの背せに沿そって続つづいている。

  The path continues along the mountain ridge.