裏

Phono-semantic compound:

衣 (“clothing”) — semantic component, conveys the idea of “covering,” “garment,” or “layer.”

里 (“village / inside / distance”) — phonetic component, provides the sound lǐ and reinforces the spatial sense of interior.

Thus, 裏 originally meant “the inside of clothing” — the part that touches the body — and by extension came to mean “the inner side of anything.”

裏面 (이면) — the inner side, reverse, interior

裏切 (배반) — betrayal, to turn one’s back (lit. “cut from behind”)

裏腹 (이면복 / 반대되는 마음) — contradiction between surface and heart

裏表 (이면표 / 속과 겉) — duality of inside and outside

心裏 (심리) — mind, inner feelings

裏話 (이면담) — behind-the-scenes story, inside information

The duality of 表 (outside) and 裏 (inside) forms a symbolic pair representing external appearance vs internal reality, often used metaphorically to describe human character, social behavior, or moral contrast:

表裏一體 — “inside and outside as one body,” meaning consistency between words and deeds.

表裏不同 — “outside and inside differ,” meaning hypocrisy or duplicity.

Extended sense — opposite or hidden side (“the reverse of something”):

「衣之表為外，衣之裏為內。」

“The outside of a garment is called outer, the inside is called inner.”

In Japanese usage 裏 retains both literal and figurative meanings:

- “back” or “reverse side” of an object (シャツの裏 “the back side of a shirt”).

- “hidden” or “secret” aspects (裏社会 “the underworld”).

The idiom 裏切る (うらぎる) literally means “to cut from behind”, thus “to betray.”

In Korean usage used in everyday compounds like:

심리 (心理) — inner heart or mental state.

이면 (裏面) — the unseen or internal aspect.

이면계약 (裏面契約) — a secret contract.