noun
red beard; person with a red beard
Literal description of a red beard or a person who has one. Can be used neutrally or as a nickname.
あの赤ひげの人は誰ですか？
Who is that person with the red beard?
彼は赤ひげを生やしている。
He has grown a red beard.
Derogatory slang for a Westerner, based on the stereotype of red facial hair. Offensive and dated.
昔の小説では、西洋人を「赤ひげ」と呼ぶことがあった。
In old novels, Westerners were sometimes called 'red beards'.
noun
Ryukyu robin (Erithacus komadori)
A bird species native to the Ryukyu Islands. Usually written in kana as アカヒゲ in biological contexts.
アカヒゲは沖縄の固有種です。
The Ryukyu robin is an endemic species of Okinawa.
Katakana form provided as a search-only variant; not a typical written form.
Compound of 赤 (red) and ひげ (beard). The derogatory sense for Westerners arose from the historical association of red facial hair with Europeans. The bird name comes from the red coloring on its throat.