背せの君きみ

せ

の

き

み

Meanings

poetical term

A poetic, archaic term for one's husband, found in classical Japanese poetry and literature. Not used in modern everyday speech; the common word is 夫 (おっと).

万まん葉よう集しゅうには「背せの君きみ」という言こと葉ばが夫おっとを指さして使つかわれている。
In the Man'yōshū, the word '背の君' is used to refer to a husband.

Kanji

背stature, height, back
君mister, you, ruler
夫husband, man
兄elder brother, big brother

Related words

夫おっと
The standard modern word for 'husband'. 背の君 is a poetic, archaic synonym.

Built from

背せ+君きみ

Written forms

背せの君きみUsage100%
Poetic term for 'husband'; the kanji 背 (back/stature) is used here as a poetic reference to a male figure. Rare in modern Japanese.
夫せの君きみ
Alternate kanji spelling using 夫 (husband). Also rare and poetic.
兄せの君きみ
Alternate kanji spelling using 兄 (older brother), but used poetically for 'husband'. Rare.

Etymology

The term 背の君 (せのきみ) is a classical Japanese expression. 背 (せ) originally meant 'back' or 'stature' and was used as a poetic word for a man or husband, while 君 (きみ) is an honorific suffix. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it appears in early Japanese poetry.