髭（ひげ、hige）
- beard/mustache

The Japanese word 髭 (ひげ, *hige*) refers to facial hair, specifically the hair that grows on a man's face, such as a beard, mustache, or sideburns. It encompasses all the hair around the mouth, chin, and cheeks. 髭 is a noun.

⚫︎彼の髭 Translation: His beard/facial hair ⚫︎髭を剃る Translation: To shave one's beard ⚫︎彼は長い髭を生やしている Translation: He is growing a long beard.

This word is used to describe the presence or absence of facial hair, its style, or actions related to it, such as shaving or trimming. It's a common word and can be used in various contexts, from casual conversations to formal discussions about grooming. When speaking of other animals with facial hair, the word would still be 髭.

The word 髭 is primarily written using the kanji 髭. The reading is *hige*, written in hiragana as ひげ. There are no other common ways to write this word. The okurigana is standard, with no variations.

There are no direct synonyms for 髭 that encompass the entirety of its meaning. However, depending on the specific context, you might use: ⚫︎口ひげ (*kuchihige*) - mustache ⚫︎あごひげ (*agohige*) - beard ⚫︎ひげそり (*higesori*) - shaving (the act of)

There aren't specific antonyms in the direct sense. The opposite of having 髭 would be not having it, but there isn't a single word to express this. The action of removing 髭 might be considered an opposite action.

田中さんはいつも綺麗に髭を整えています。 ・Translation: Mr. Tanaka always keeps his facial hair neatly trimmed. ・Explanation: This sentence describes how someone maintains their facial hair.

彼は髭が濃いので、毎日剃らないといけません。 ・Translation: He has thick facial hair, so he has to shave every day. ・Explanation: This sentence explains that someone needs to shave daily because of their thick facial hair.

The etymology of 髭 is not definitively known, but it is believed that the kanji 髭 is a compound character. The character on the top portion, 髟, which is a variant of the kanji 髪 (*kami*), hair, on the bottom portion is 㐭 (*reizan*), a rice container.