Meaning
面 packs a lot into one character. At its core it means face — a person's face — but extends naturally to surface, side, aspect, and mask. The common thread: anything outward-facing. The front of your head, a phone screen, the surface of water, one side of a geometric shape — all qualify.
面 is a pictograph. In ancient oracle bone script, the outline of a human face is unmistakable: an outer frame marking the face's boundary, with a stroke suggesting the eye at center. The character grew more stylized over centuries, but that core sense of outward presentation never faded. The top portion (丆) suggests the brow, while the lower structure evokes eyes and facial features. The character draws what it means.
面 has 9 strokes and is taught in school grade 3 in Japan, around age 8–9. It is its own radical, forming the base for a small family of related characters. For JLPT learners, it sits at N3 level — expect to encounter it regularly in intermediate reading and everyday conversation.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
The primary on'yomi is メン, used heavily in compound words (jukugo). This is the reading that appears most often in formal contexts, written materials, and set expressions.
- 面接 (mensetsu) — job interview (literally "face meeting")
- 画面 (gamen) — screen (TV, computer, phone)
- 場面 (bamen) — scene or setting (in a story or film)
- 面積 (menseki) — area (mathematical surface area)
- 仮面 (kamen) — mask, disguise
- 正面 (shoumen) — front face, facade
Compounds using メン lean formal and abstract. When 面 appears mid-word, it is almost certainly read メン.
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
The kun'yomi readings are おも, おもて, and つら. Each carries its own nuance and tends to surface in idiomatic or expressive contexts.
おも survives most visibly in 面白い (omoshiroi), meaning "interesting" or "funny." The original sense was "the front (おも) is bright (しろい)" — something that literally brightens your face. That etymology makes the word surprisingly literal.
おもて refers to the outward-facing, front surface of something — as opposed to the back (裏, うら).
- 面 (omote) — the front side, the outward surface
- 面影 (omokage) — a lingering image of someone's face; a remembered impression
One important note: when 面 combines with other kanji, the on'yomi takes over. 表面 (hyoumen), for instance, reads ひょう + めん — not おもてめん.
つら is the bluntest of the three: colloquial, occasionally harsh. It means face in an unflattering register. The expression 面の皮が厚い (tsura no kawa ga atsui) calls someone thick-skinned or shameless.
Common Words & Compounds
People & Social Situations
- 面接 (mensetsu) — job interview or face-to-face meeting
- 面会 (menkai) — visitation, meeting someone in person
- 面目 (menboku) — one's honor, reputation, or social "face"
- 面倒 (mendou) — troublesome, a bother; also "to look after someone"
Surfaces & Geometry
- 表面 (hyoumen) — surface of an object
- 水面 (suimen) — surface of water
- 地面 (jimen) — the ground underfoot
- 面積 (menseki) — area (in math)
- 側面 (sokumen) — side face, lateral aspect
Screens & Visual Displays
- 画面 (gamen) — screen (TV, phone, computer)
- 全面 (zenmen) — the entire surface; all-out (e.g., 全面禁止, total ban)
Masks & Performance
- 仮面 (kamen) — mask, disguise
- 能面 (noumen) — a traditional Noh theater mask
Directions & Position
- 正面 (shoumen) — directly in front, the front face
- 場面 (bamen) — a scene or setting
Example Sentences
明日、会社の面接があります。
Ashita, kaisha no mensetsu ga arimasu.
I have a job interview tomorrow.
この問題にはいろいろな面があります。
Kono mondai ni wa iroiro na men ga arimasu.
This problem has various aspects to it.
画面が割れてしまいました。
Gamen ga warete shimaimashita.
The screen cracked.
水面に月が映っています。
Suimen ni tsuki ga utsutteimasu.
The moon is reflected on the surface of the water.
あの映画の場面はとても感動的でした。
Ano eiga no bamen wa totemo kandouteki deshita.
That scene in the movie was very moving.
彼女は面倒くさそうに返事をしました。
Kanojo wa mendoukusasou ni henji wo shimashita.
She replied as if it were a bother.
建物の正面に大きな時計があります。
Tatemono no shoumen ni ookina tokei ga arimasu.
There is a large clock on the front of the building.
雨で地面がぬれています。
Ame de jimen ga nurete imasu.
The ground is wet from rain.
面白い本を読んでいたので、時間を忘れました。
Omoshiroi hon wo yonde ita node, jikan wo wasuremashita.
I was reading such an interesting book that I lost track of time.
Memory Tip
Picture someone wearing a rectangular frame around their face — like an old portrait painting. The outer strokes of 面 form that frame. Inside, two eyes peek through. The kanji frames a face.
That image holds across all of 面's meanings. A job interview (面接) puts you face-to-face with someone. A screen (画面) is a framed surface you look at. A lake at night (水面) presents a flat face of water. Everything 面 describes is something you look at — an outward-facing plane turned toward the world.