後(うし)ろ髪(がみ)

うしろがみ
noun
hair at the back of the head; lingering attachment
body-partemotion
1. hair at the back of the head
The hair growing at the back of one's head.
後(うし)ろ髪(がみ)をまとめる。
To tie up the hair at the back of one's head.
後(うし)ろ髪(がみ)が首(くび)にかかる。
The hair at the back touches the neck.
後(うし)ろ髪(がみ)が伸(の)びてきたので、美容院(びよういん)に行(い)かなければ。
The hair at the back of my head has gotten long, so I need to go to the salon.
2. lingering attachment; reluctance to leave
A feeling of being unable to leave something behind, as if someone were pulling you back by the hair. Used primarily in the idiom 後ろ髪を引かれる.
後(うし)ろ髪(がみ)を引(ひ)かれる思(おも)い。
A feeling of lingering reluctance.
故郷(ふるさと)を離(はな)れるのは後(うし)ろ髪(がみ)を引(ひ)かれた。
Leaving my hometown was hard to do — I felt pulled back.
子供(こども)を預(あず)けて出勤(しゅっきん)するのは、毎朝(まいあさ)後(うし)ろ髪(がみ)を引(ひ)かれる思(おも)いだ。
Leaving my child behind and going to work feels like a reluctant parting every morning.

The literal meaning (sense 1) refers to the hair at the back of the head, but the word is far more commonly encountered in the idiomatic expression 後(うし)ろ髪(がみ)を引(ひ)かれる (sense 2).

Common expressions

The expression 後(うし)ろ髪(がみ)を引(ひ)かれる literally means "to have one's hair pulled from behind" — evoking the image of being physically held back as you try to leave. It expresses deep reluctance to part with someone or something, a strong emotional pull to stay.

Common collocations

Similar words

Related Words

Compare: 未練(みれん) (lingering attachment, regret)
Compare: 名残惜(なごりお)しい (sad to part)
Related: 前髪(まえがみ) (bangs)
general
Added 2026.3.31 0:14 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
20500/20760_ushirogami