裏表

Japanese Slang Japanese ★★★★ 4/5 casual うらおもてuraomote

読み うらおもて

ローマ字 uraomote

漢字の分解 裏 (back/hidden/reverse) + 表 (front/surface/public) → having a hidden back side and a visible front side

発音 /ɯ.ɾa.o.mo.te/

意味

Two-faced; having a hidden side that contradicts one's public persona.

While 本音/建前 is an accepted social norm, 裏表 carries a more negative judgment — it implies someone is deliberately deceptive rather than simply maintaining social harmony. Being called 裏表がある (having a hidden side) is a serious character criticism. Conversely, 裏表がない (having no hidden side) is one of the highest compliments in Japanese culture.

例文

あの人裏表ありすぎて信用できない。
裏表がない人って本当に貴重だよね。
裏表が激しい人とは一緒に仕事したくない。

使い方ガイド

場面: character assessment, gossip, trust discussions, relationships

トーン: critical, cautionary

正しい言い方

あの子は裏表がなくて付き合いやすい (She has no hidden side — easy to get along with)
裏表がある人には気をつけた方がいい (You should be careful around two-faced people)

避ける言い方

本人に「裏表あるよね」と面と向かって言うのはケンカになる (Telling someone to their face 'you're two-faced' will start a fight)

よくある間違い

Confusing 裏表 with normal 本音/建前 — 建前 is expected social behaviour, while 裏表 implies deliberate deceit
Assuming 裏表がない is always positive in professional settings — some degree of filtering is expected

起源と歴史

From 裏 (back/hidden/reverse) + 表 (front/surface/public) — literally 'back and front.' The metaphor of having two different sides predates modern usage, rooted in the cultural awareness of 本音/建前 duality taken to a negative extreme.

文化的背景

時代: Long-standing character assessment concept

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal

地域メモ: Used across all of Japan. 裏表がない (no hidden side) is considered one of the highest character compliments.