There are two words for face or is there a slight difference?
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2018-04-15T06:30:49.607
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2018-04-15T07:34:17.620
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word-choice word-usage nouns
面 and 顔 difference?
顔【かお】 is the primary word for _face_ (of animal/human). You should be using
this word in most situations.

面 read as **つら** is an uncommon slangy/rough word that is mainly used in dirty
conversations and derogatory idioms such as
[どの面下げて](http://jisho.org/word/%E3%81%A9%E3%81%AE%E9%9D%A2%E4%B8%8B%E3%81%92%E3%81%A6),
[面の顔が厚い](http://jisho.org/word/%E9%9D%A2%E3%81%AE%E7%9A%AE%E3%81%8C%E5%8E%9A%E3%81%84).
Although some fixed phrases like
[しかめっ面](http://jisho.org/word/%E9%A1%B0%E3%82%81%E9%9D%A2) and
[泣きっ面に蜂](http://jisho.org/word/%E6%B3%A3%E3%81%8D%E9%9D%A2%E3%81%AB%E8%9C%82)
are safe in ordinary conversations, you should not use 面 as a generic noun
unless you intentionally want to offend someone.

面 read as **おもて** also means _face_ or _front_ , but this is a fairly literary
and/or old word. You'll see this only in samurai dramas and stiff novels.

Standalone 面 read as **めん** (on-reading) is even rarer, and is used only in a
few uncommon set phrases such as
[面を通す](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/jn/218070/meaning/m0u/). 面 read as めん also
means _mask_ (e.g. Noh mask) or _surface_. Of course 面 appears in many Sino-
Japanese compounds such as 海面, 画面, 水面, etc.
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answer