nape of the neck; nucha
Refers to the back of the neck, especially in contexts of beauty or vulnerability. The medical term 'nucha' is a direct equivalent.
The fine hair on the nape of her neck is beautiful.
She put her hair up and showed the nape of her neck.
It feels good to cool the nape of your neck.
In her yukata, her nape looked beautiful.
He kissed her on the nape of her neck.
Usually written in kana; the kanji form 項 is rare and may be confused with other readings.
Kanji form is uncommon and easily confused with 項 (こう, 'clause' or 'item').
The origin is uncertain, but it may be related to 項 (うな, 'back of the neck') + じ (possibly a suffix). The kanji 項 is used for its meaning, but the word is now predominantly written in kana.