皮

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. みかんの皮をむきました。▶ —
   I peeled the mandarin orange.
2. 皮膚が乾燥しています。▶ —
   My skin is dry.

Collocations

Mnemonic

Kawa (皮) is the noun "skin, peel, surface" — covers fruit, animals, and human skin. Mikan no kawa (orange peel), banana no kawa, hito no kawa (human skin — sounds rough alone, use hifu for skin proper). The formal / medical word is hifu (皮膚) — hifuka (dermatology), hifubyou (skin disease). Metaphor extension: hiniku (皮肉, 皮 + 肉 = "skin and flesh" = irony / sarcasm), matching English irony. Idiom kawa wo kaburu (don a skin = put on a disguise / hide one's true self). Bake no kawa ga hagareru (the disguise-skin peels off = one's true colors emerge) is a Japanese idiom. The homophonous 革 (kawa, leather) is a separate kanji for processed hide — hikaku (皮革, leather goods).

Quick check

1. Meaning of "hiniku" (皮肉)?

   • Irony / sarcasm (metaphor of skin and flesh)
   • Plain skin and flesh
   • Tasty food
   • Animal hide