1.
to raise one's head; to look up; to lift one's face
The physical action of raising one's face from a lowered position.
彼女はゆっくり顔を上げた。
She slowly raised her head.
名前を呼ばれて、顔を上げた。
Hearing my name called, I looked up.
本から顔を上げると、窓の外はもう暗くなっていた。
When I looked up from my book, it had already gotten dark outside the window.
A common expression describing the physical action of lifting one's face. Frequently used in narrative writing to describe a character's movements, often to convey emotional states — raising one's head can signal attention, confidence, or a change in focus.
USAGE:
- Very common in novels and descriptive writing
- Often used when a character has been reading, looking down, or in a bowed position
- The opposite action is 顔を下げる or うつむく (to look down)
- Can also have a figurative sense: to be able to show one's face proudly
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- ゆっくり顔を上げる: to slowly raise one's head
- ふと顔を上げる: to casually look up
- 本から顔を上げる: to look up from a book
- はっと顔を上げる: to look up with a start
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 見上げる: to look up at — focuses on the direction of one's gaze (upward at something)
- うつむく: to look down, hang one's head — the opposite action
- 顔を伏せる: to cast one's eyes down — to lower one's face
- 頭を上げる: to raise one's head — similar but uses 頭 instead of 顔