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Words Kanji Guides About

頬ほお

ほ

お

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

noun

Refers to the fleshy side of the face below the eye. The reading ほほ is an older or more formal variant, but ほお is standard in modern Japanese.

彼かの女じょは恥はずかしそうに頬ほおを赤あからめた。
She blushed shyly.
赤あかちゃんのふっくらした頬ほおが可愛いかわいい。
The baby's chubby cheeks are cute.

Written forms

頬Usage26%
- ほお
  Standard kanji spelling; the most common written form.
- ほほ
頰Usage67%
- ほお
  Variant kanji form; rarely used in modern Japanese.
- ほほ
ほおUsage5%
Kana spelling; used when the kanji is considered difficult or in informal writing.
ほほUsage2%
ホホUsage<1%
ホオUsage<1%

Kanji

頬cheeks, jaw
頰cheeks, jaw

Similar words

顔かお
顔 is the general word for 'face', while 頬 specifically means 'cheek'.
ほっぺた
ほっぺた is a colloquial, slightly childish word for 'cheek', often used in casual speech.

Etymology

The historical derivation is uncertain; the kanji 頬 is conventionally associated with the meaning 'cheek'.