Usage patterns 卑ひ 怯きょう なことをする to do something cowardly or underhanded
He always does underhanded things.
卑ひ 怯きょう にも 〈 動どう 詞し 〉 cowardly, (someone) did ~
He cowardly ran away alone.
〈 人ひと 〉 を 卑ひ 怯きょう 者もの と 呼よ ぶ to call someone a coward
Everyone called him a coward.
卑怯ひきょう な 真似まね をする to pull a dirty or underhanded trick
Stop pulling such a dirty trick.
Expressions 卑ひ 怯きょう な 手て を 使つか う play a dirty trick; use underhanded methods; hit below the belt; play foul Kanji 怯 cowardice, wince, flinch Related words ずるい is a casual word for petty cunning or slyness, while 卑怯 carries a stronger moral condemnation and is used in more serious contexts.
臆病 describes a timid personality trait of being easily frightened, while 卑怯 implies a moral failing tied to cowardly or unfair behavior.
卑劣 is a more literary, harsher term for base or contemptible conduct, while 卑怯 is the more common word for cowardly or unfair behavior.
Opposites· 5 勇敢 means brave or courageous, the direct opposite of 卑怯 in its sense of cowardice.
公正 means fair and impartial, the opposite of 卑怯 when it describes unfair or underhanded methods.
卑怯 means cowardly or underhanded, the opposite of the courage described by 勇 .
Show 2 more Show fewer 卑怯 describes cowardly or underhanded behavior, the opposite of the brave, righteous conduct implied by 義勇 .
潔い praises someone for facing defeat or blame with dignity, while 卑怯 criticizes someone for acting in a cowardly or underhanded way.
Don't confuse with 卑屈 describes servile, self-abasing behavior toward others, whereas 卑怯 describes cowardly or unfair conduct, though both share the kanji 卑 .
秘境 (an unexplored, secluded place) and 卑怯 (cowardly, underhanded) share the same reading ひきょう but have completely unrelated meanings.
Written forms 卑ひ 怯きょう Usage 94%
Standard kanji spelling; high-frequency in news and common usage.
ひきょう Usage 6%
Kana spelling is sometimes used for clarity or emphasis, though kanji is more common.
Etymology Compound of 卑 (lowly, base) and 怯 (cowardice, fear). The combination conveys a sense of base cowardice and underhandedness.
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