裏うら返がえし

う

ら

が

え

し

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

Refers to something being turned so that the inner side faces outward, or the top and bottom are reversed. Often used with clothing or objects.

た

。

I accidentally put my shirt on inside out.

その写しゃ真しんは裏うら返がえしに飾かざられていた。

The photo was displayed upside down.

2

Metaphorical use for the hidden or opposite aspect of a situation, statement, or character. Often implies a contrast with the surface appearance.

〈物もの〉を裏うら返がえしにするto turn something inside out (or upside down)
靴くつ下したを裏うら返がえしにして洗あらった。
I turned my socks inside out and washed them.
〈事こと〉の裏うら返がえしthe flip side of something (e.g. an emotion or trait)
彼かれの強つよがりは寂さびしさの裏うら返がえしだ。
His bravado is the flip side of his loneliness.
〈物もの〉が裏うら返がえしになるfor something to end up turned inside out
風かぜでシャツが裏うら返がえしになった。
The wind blew my shirt inside out.

逆ぎゃくN3sense 2
逆 is a general word for 'opposite' usable in any context, while 裏返し specifically evokes the hidden side revealed by physically flipping something over.
逆さかさN2sense 1
逆さ emphasizes something being upside-down or reversed in orientation, while 裏返し specifically means the inner surface has been turned outward.
反はん転てん
裏返し specifically means turning something inside-out or to its other side, often used for clothing or flat objects, whereas 反転 covers a wider range of physical and abstract inversion.

裏うら返がえる sense 1
裏返る is the intransitive verb meaning 'to turn inside out', while 裏返し is the noun naming the resulting state, and their similar forms often trip up learners.
裏うら表おもてN1
裏返し directly describes the act of turning something over or wearing it inside out, while 裏表 more broadly names the front/back distinction and can also describe a person's duplicity.

Compound of 裏 (ura, 'back, reverse side') + 返し (kaeshi, 'turning over', from 返す). Literally 'turning the back side over'.