face
gb/fˈeɪs/ us/fˈeɪs/
A1
Kiingereza
~ 700
Maana
maana 0
Nomino
A1
entity
1
Front part of the head
The front part of your head with your eyes, nose, and mouth.
Muundo wa matumizi:
[someone]'s face
Kosa la kawaida:
Learners sometimes confuse 'face' with 'head'. The 'face' is only the front part, not the whole head.
Visawe
visage (More formal or literary term for face.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
wash your face
|smiling face
|serious face
|face to face
|turn your face
Mada
body
|appearance
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Mifano
- She had a big smile on her face.
- His face turned red when he was embarrassed.
- I recognized her face immediately.
- The wind was cold against my face.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- I wash my face every morning.
- He has a happy face.
- Her face is very beautiful.
- The baby touched my face.
Kitenzi
A2
action
2
Turn toward something/someone
To look at or be turned toward someone or something.
Muundo wa matumizi:
to face [someone/something]
Kosa la kawaida:
Learners sometimes confuse 'face' (to turn toward) with 'look at'. 'Face' can describe position, not just seeing.
Visawe
confront (Implies meeting something directly, often difficult or unpleasant.)
Vinyume
turn away (Means to move so that you are no longer facing something.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
face the camera
|face each other
|face the front
Mada
movement
|daily life
|space
|core_vocabulary
Mifano
- Please face the audience when you speak.
- The house faces the sea.
- They faced each other across the table.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- Face the teacher when you talk.
- The building faces the park.
- She faced her friend and smiled.
Kitenzi
B1
action
3
Deal with a problem or challenge
To try to deal with something bad or hard.
Muundo wa matumizi:
to face [a problem/challenge/truth]
Kosa la kawaida:
Learners may confuse this sense with physically turning toward something. Here it means dealing with something abstract.
Visawe
confront (Similar but often stronger in tone; emphasizes direct encounter.)
Vinyume
avoid (Means to try not to meet or deal with something.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
face reality
|face the truth
|face difficulties
Mada
emotions
|life challenges
|core_vocabulary
|work
Mifano
- We must face the fact that we made a mistake.
- She faced many challenges in her career.
- He needs to face his fears.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- I must face my problem.
- She faces many problems at work.
- He faces his fear of flying.
Nomino
B1
entity
4
Outward surface of an object
The outside part of something that you can see.
Muundo wa matumizi:
the face of [something]
Visawe
surface (A general term for the outside layer; not limited to the main side.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
the face of a building
|clock face
|mountain face
Mada
objects
|geometry
|space
|core_vocabulary
Mifano
- The north face of the mountain is covered in snow.
- The clock face was beautifully decorated.
- The house has a glass face overlooking the garden.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- The clock face shows the time.
- We climbed the rock face.
- The front face of the building is red.
Nomino
B2
entity
5
Reputation or dignity before others
How people see and respect you in society.
Visawe
honor (Emphasizes moral integrity as well as social respect.)
Vinyume
disgrace (Loss of respect or honor in others' eyes.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
save face
|lose face
Mada
emotions
|society
|relationships
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Mifano
- He lied to save face.
- She felt she would lose face if she admitted she was wrong.
- The company took action to keep face after the scandal.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- He lied to save face.
- She lost face after the mistake.
- They want to keep face in front of friends.
Sarufi
Umbo la kamusi
face
IPA
GB/fˈeɪs/
US/fˈeɪs/
Silabi na mkazo
face (silabi 1)
Stress on 1st syllable (face)
Maumbo ya neno
Noun
- Base: face
- Plural: face, faces
Verb
- Base: face
- 3rd Person Singular: faces
- Present Participle: facing
- Past: faced
Familia ya neno
Forms
faces
noun
facing
verb
faced
verb
Core family
facial
adjective B2
Related words
facially
adverb
Negative and opposite forms
faceless
adjective
Advanced or less common
deface
verb
defacement
noun
Semi
face to face
1/fˈeɪs tə fˈeɪs/
fixed phrase
In each other's presence directly
Close to and looking at another person directly.
Mifano
- We finally met face to face after years of online friendship.
- The two leaders sat face to face during talks.
face up to [something]
1/fˈeɪs ˈʌp tə sˈʌmθɪŋ/
phrasal verb
Confront and accept difficulty/problem
To accept and deal with something bad or hard.
Mifano
- You must face up to your responsibilities.
- He finally faced up to the truth about his health.
in the face of [something]
1/ˈɪn ðə fˈeɪs əv sˈʌmθɪŋ/
fixed phrase
While confronting difficulty/threats
When something happens even though there is a problem or danger.
Mifano
- She stayed calm in the face of danger.
- In the face of criticism, he continued his work.
save face
1/sˈeɪv fˈeɪs/
idiom
Avoid loss of dignity/respect
To do something so people still respect you after a bad situation.
Mifano
- She apologized quickly to save face.
- They reached a compromise to save face on both sides.
lose face
1/lˈuz fˈeɪs/
idiom
Suffer loss of respect publicly
To be less respected by others because of what happened.
Mifano
- He didn’t want to admit he was wrong and lose face.
- He didn't want to lose face by admitting his mistake.
- The politician risked losing face by changing his position.
- The politician lost face after the scandal.