Saturday, March 7, 2020

sekimen 赤面

In Japanese, sekimen 赤面, meaning "red face," refers to someone's face as it's red with embarrassment or something like that. It's how you say "blushing" in Japanese.

Suou Tamaki 須王環, example of blushing "red face," sekimen 赤面.
Character: Suou Tamaki 須王環
Anime: Ouran High School Host Club, Ouran Koukou Hosuto-Bu 桜蘭高校ホスト部 (Episode 1)

Rendering

In colorful anime the characters' faces do become red as they blush, but in black and white manga that's not possible, so diagonal lines are used instead to represent blushing.

In pure text, three slashes are used to represent blushing. This sometimes happen in text balloons when the character isn't visible in the panel.
  • minaide///
    ないで///
    Don't look [at me]. *blushing*
    • surasshu
      スラッシュ
      A slash (/).

Vocabulary

The word aka 赤 means the color "red," while seki せき is the on'yomi of the kanji. The menmorpheme can mean either the "surface" or "front side" of something or someone's "face."

Kamado Tanjirou 竈門炭治郎, blushing with a fully "red face," sekimen 赤面.
Character: Kamado Tanjirou 竈門炭治郎
Anime: Kimetsu no Yaiba 鬼滅の刃 (Episode 23)
  • makka
    真っ赤
    "True red." A very strong red color.

あはははは。 顔、真っ赤っかになってるよ! あははは。
Manga: Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san からかい上手の高木さん (Chapter 2, プール)
  • Context: Takagi 高木 sees the outcome of her teasing.
  • a-ha-ha-ha-ha.
    あはははは。
    *laughs.*
  • kao, makka-kka ni
    natteru yo!

    顔、真っ赤っかになってるよ!
    [Your] face, [it's] turning really red!
  • a-ha-ha-ha.
    あははは。
    *more laughs.*

Keith Claes キース・クラエス, example of blushing "red face," sekimen 赤面.
Character: Keith Claes キース・クラエス
Anime: Otome Game no Hametsu Flag Shika Nai Akuyaku Reijou ni Tensei Shiteshimatta…, 乙女ゲームの破滅フラグしかない悪役令嬢に転生してしまった… (Episode 4)

There are various ways to say "to blush" in Japanese. For example:
  • sekimen suru
    赤面する
    To "red-face." (as a suru-verb.)
    To become red-faced. To blush.
  • kouchou suru
    紅潮する
    To blush. To redden.
    • kao wo kouchou saseru
      紅潮させる
      To redden [one's] face.
      To blush.
  • kao ga akaku naru
    顔が赤くなる
    [Their] face becomes red.
    [They] blush.
  • hoo ga akaku somaru
    頬が赤く染まる
    [Their] cheeks dye red. [Their] cheeks become red.
    [They] blush.
  • hazukashisa de hoo wo akaku someru
    恥ずかしさ頬を赤く染める
    To dye [one's] cheeks red with embarrassment.
    To blush with embarrassment.

For completeness, the makeup term for "blush" would be:
  • hoobeni
    頬紅
    Rouge. Blush. Cosmetic product used for coloring the cheeks.
    Literally "cheek-red" in Japanese.
    • The word "rouge" means "red" in French.
    • kuchibeni
      口紅
      Lipstick.
      Literally "mouth-red."

There are various reasons for someone's face to turn red. Embarrassment, shame, bashfulness are pretty common ones.

Fujiwara Chika 藤原千花, example of character blushing with shame, "red face," sekimen 赤面.
Character: Fujiwara Chika 藤原千花
Anime: Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai ~Tensai-Tachi no Ren'ai Zunousen かぐや様は告らせたい~天才たちの恋愛頭脳戦~ (Episode 9)
  • hazukashii
    恥ずかしい
    Embarrassing.
    • hazui
      恥ずい
      (slang, abbreviation.)
    • shinu hodo hazuhashii
      死ぬほど恥ずかしい
      Embarrassing enough to die.
    • hazukashikute shineru
      恥ずかしくて死ねる
      So embarrassing that [I] could die.
  • haji

    Shame. Dishonor.
    • haji-shirazu
      恥知らず
      Not-knowing shame. Shameless.
    • shuuchishin
      羞恥心
      Shame. Shyness.
  • tereru
    照れる
    To be shy. To be bashful.
    • tereya-san
      照れ屋さん
      Someone who is shy.

Another common reason would be from falling love.
  • dokidoki suru
    ドキドキする
    (For one's heart) to beat.
    To feel one's heart beat faster.
  • mune ga kyun to suru
    胸がキュンとする
    (To feel one's) chest tighten.
    For one's heart to skip a beat. (when they fall in love, for example.)

ドキッ
Manga: Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san からかい上手の高木さん (Chapter 1, 消しゴム)
  • doki'
    ドキ
    *thump*

Other strong emotions can also cause blushing, like excitement.
  • wakuwaku
    ワクワク
    *excited*
  • koufun
    興奮
    Excitement.
  • furueru
    震える
    To tremble.

ゾクッ
Manga: Gabriel DropOut, ガヴリールドロップアウト (Chapter 3)
  • Context: Kurumizawa Satanichia McDowell 胡桃沢=サタニキア=マクドウェル feels goosebumps from imagining herself doing evil things.
  • zoku'
    ゾクッ
    *tremble*

Lastly, it could be the character is just sick.
  • netsu

    Warmth.
    Fever.
  • kaze

    Wind.
  • kaze
    風邪
    Cold. Influenza.
    • samui
      寒い
      Cold. (weather, temperature.)
    • tsumetai
      冷たい
      Cold. (to the touch.)
      Heartless.
  • kaze wo hiku
    風邪を引く
    [To catch] a cold. (literally "to pull a cold.")
Faces & Expressions

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