平へい平へい

Meanings

Describes something as flat, even, or unremarkable; often used in literary or formal contexts to mean 'mediocre' or 'nothing special'. Not an everyday conversational word.

彼かれの成せい績せきは平へい平へいたるものだった。
His grades were nothing special.
平へい平へいとした日にち常じょうに飽あきてしまった。
I grew tired of the ordinary, uneventful days.

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Kanji

平even, flat, peace

Related words

平へい凡ぼん
平凡 is the common word for 'ordinary' or 'mediocre'; 平平 is a rarer, more literary synonym with a nuance of flatness or lack of distinction.
平たいら
平ら means physically flat or level; 平平 is more abstract and often describes quality or character.

Word family

平へい平へい凡ぼん凡ぼん
very ordinary; mediocre; all-too-common; quite commonplace

Written forms

平へい平へいUsage7%
Standard kanji spelling; the repetition mark 々 is also used as 平々.
平へい々へいUsage52%
Variant using the repetition mark; equally valid but less common in modern digital text.
へいへいUsage40%

Etymology

Reduplication of 平 (へい, 'flat, level, ordinary'), emphasizing the quality of being unremarkable or even. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the form follows a common pattern of doubling to intensify or generalize a meaning.