形相

• 読み: ぎょうそう
• ローマ字: gyousou
• 漢字の分解: 形 (kei/gyou/kata) — form, shape, appearance; 相 (sou/ai) — aspect, appearance, countenance
• 発音: /ɡʲoː.soː/

意味

Facial expression; the look on someone's face, especially when intensely emotional, fierce, or alarming. Conveys emotional extremity through outward appearance.

A noun most commonly describing an intense, distorted, or frightening facial expression in narrative and literary contexts. Frequently collocates with 恐ろしい (terrifying), すさまじい (fierce/dreadful), and 変える (to change). Note that 形相 can also mean 'form' or 'morphe' in philosophical contexts (cf. Aristotle), but its dominant everyday meaning in Japanese is facial appearance under strong emotion.

例文

1. 彼は怒りで形相が変わるほど激しく怒鳴り散らした。
2. その形相を見た周囲の人々は思わず後ずさりした。
3. 修羅場をくぐり抜けてきた老将軍の形相には、言葉にならない凄みがあった。

使い方ガイド

場面: literature, narrative, drama

トーン: vivid

起源と歴史

Compound of 形 (form, shape, appearance) and 相 (aspect, appearance, mutual). Together they describe the outward shape of someone's face as a reflection of their inner state.

文化的背景

時代: Classical–Modern

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal