pelt, skin, hide, leather

About this kanji

The kanji 「皮」 primarily means "skin" or "hide," and can refer to both the outer covering of an animal and the material leather. It’s used as a noun and appears in several common compounds. For example, 皮膚 (ひふ) means "skin" in a biological sense, while 皮切り (かわきり) refers to the "beginning" or "starting point" of something. 脱皮 (だっぴ) means "ecdysis," the process of shedding skin, which is important for many reptiles. A notable usage note is that while it often refers to skin in a literal sense, it can also appear in figurative language, like in 皮肉 (ひにく), which means "irony."

Example sentences

• この果物の皮は食べられない。

  The peel of this fruit is inedible.

Meanings across languages

English

pelt, skin, hide, leather, skin radical (no. 107)

Tiếng Việt

da

日本語

皮膚

한국어

피부

中文

皮

id

kulit, kulit hewan

th

ขน, ผิว, หนัง

es

piel, cuero, pellejo

fr

fourrure, peau, cuir

de

Pelz, Haut, Leder

pt

pele, couro

Common compounds

• 皮膚ひふskin
• 皮切りかわきりbeginning, start
• 脱皮だっぴecdysis, shedding (of skin), sloughing
• 皮革ひかくleather, hide
• 皮肉ひにくirony, sarcasm, cynicism
• 毛皮けがわfur, skin, pelt
• 皮膚科ひふかdermatology
• 一皮ひとかわveneer, outer layer that conceals something's true nature, one layer of skin