1.
front and back; both sides
The two physical surfaces of something, such as fabric or paper.
この布は表裏の区別がつきにくい。
It's hard to tell the front from the back of this fabric.
紙の表裏を間違えて印刷してしまった。
I printed on the wrong side of the paper.
このコインの表裏には違うデザインが施されている。
Different designs are applied to the front and back of this coin.
2.
two-facedness; duality; discrepancy between appearance and reality
The contrast between one's public persona and true nature, or between what is shown and what is hidden.
彼には表裏がある。
He has a two-faced personality.
彼女は表裏のない性格だ。
She has a straightforward personality (no hidden sides).
政治の世界では表裏一体の関係がよくある。
In the world of politics, there are often two sides of the same coin.
WORD FORMATION:
- 表 (front, surface) + 裏 (back, reverse)
ALTERNATE READING:
- ひょうり - more formal, used in written contexts
COMMON EXPRESSIONS:
- 表裏がない (straightforward, what you see is what you get)
- 表裏がある (two-faced, hypocritical)
- 表裏一体 (two sides of the same coin)
SIMILAR COMPOUND WORDS:
- 内外/うちそと (inside and outside)
- 上下/うえした (top and bottom)
- 左右 (left and right)
- 前後 (front and back, before and after)