facing upward; on one's back
Describes a position where the face or front side is turned upward. Often used with verbs like 寝る, 倒れる, or する to indicate lying on one's back.
See also: うつむき
彼は仰向きに寝ていた。
He was lying on his back.
赤
Please lay the baby on its back.
Standard kanji spelling for 'facing upward'.
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially when the kanji is not needed.
Compound of 仰 (ao, 'upward') + 向き (muki, 'direction, facing'). The reading あおむき is standard.