favoritism; partiality; being a fan of
Used as a suffix to indicate a strong liking or favoritism toward something, often forming compounds like 地元びいき (hometown favoritism) or 判官びいき (sympathy for the underdog).
See also: 贔屓 (ひいき)
He has a hometown bias and always supports the local team.
あの先生は特定の生徒だけをひいきしている。
That teacher shows favoritism only toward certain students.
nepotism; favoritism toward relatives
each person having their own favorite; everyone having their own bias
Standard kanji spelling, though the characters are complex and often written in kana.
The kanji 贔屓 are ateji (phonetically used characters) for the reading ひいき. The origin of the word is uncertain, but it may be related to the verb 引く (ひく, 'to pull'), suggesting a pulling toward one side.