尾

• Reading: お
• Romaji: o
• Kanji breakdown: 尾 (o/bi) — tail, end, ridge
• Pronunciation: /o/

Meaning

Tail; end; ridge. The tail of an animal, or the trailing end of something.

A noun primarily referring to animal tails. Read as お in everyday use (犬の尾, dog's tail) and び in compounds like 尾行 (biko, tailing/following someone) and 語尾 (gobi, word ending). The counter 尾 (bi) is used for counting fish. Also used for mountain ridges (尾根, one).

Examples

1. 猫が嬉しそうに尾を振っていた。 The cat was happily wagging its tail.
2. この魚は尾が美しい形をしている。 This fish has a beautifully shaped tail.
3. 尾根沿いに歩くと景色がよかった。 Walking along the ridge, the scenery was wonderful.

Usage Guide

Context: animals, nature, geography

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

The kanji 尾 combines 尸 (body/corpse radical) and 毛 (hair/fur), depicting the hairy appendage at the end of an animal's body.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal