人相
Meanings
1
facial features; looks; countenance
Refers to the overall appearance of a person's face, often with a nuance of character or impression. Commonly used in expressions like 人相が悪い (to look like a bad sort) or 人相書き (a facial sketch).
That man has a sinister look about him.
The police made a facial composite based on the witness's account.
2
The practice or study of judging character from facial features. More technical and less common in everyday conversation than sense 1.
Physiognomy judges personality from facial features.
Usage patterns
- 〈人〉の人相が悪いto have a shady or villainous look about one's face
That man has a shady look about him, and it's a bit scary.
- 人相を見るto read someone's character from their face
I had a fortune-teller read my face.
- 〈人〉の人相が変わるfor someone's countenance to change (often due to stress or hardship)
Because of the hardships, his face has changed a little over the years.