noun
Only when written 首 / 頸 / 頚
The physical neck; the part of the body connecting the head and torso.
彼は首にスカーフを巻いている。
He has a scarf wrapped around his neck.
noun
Only when written 首 / 頸 / 頚
Refers to the head, especially in contexts of decapitation or when the head is considered together with the neck. Often used in set phrases like 首を切る (to behead) or 首をかしげる (to tilt one's head in puzzlement).
彼は不思議そうに首をかしげた。
He tilted his head in puzzlement.
noun
Colloquial term for being fired or laid off from a job. Often used in the phrase 首になる (to be fired) or 首にする (to fire someone). The katakana spelling クビ is very common for this sense.
彼は遅刻が多くてクビになった。
He was fired for being late too often.
会社は経費削減で何人かをクビにした。
The company fired several people to cut costs.
Rare kanji variant for neck; mostly seen in medical or formal contexts.
Rare kanji specifically for dismissal; almost never used in modern writing.
Rare kanji variant for neck; mostly seen in medical or formal contexts.
The word くび is native Japanese. The kanji 首 originally depicted a head with hair, later extended to mean neck. The dismissal sense likely comes from the image of 'cutting off one's head' (首を切る), i.e., severing employment.