What does 表 mean?
表 is a Japanese noun meaning “surface; front; outside” in English. It can also be translated as “face (i.e. the visible side of an object), front (of a building, etc.), outside” depending on context. It is written as 表 in kanji, おもて in hiragana, and omote in romaji. This word is part of JLPT N4 vocabulary.
Example sentences
この紙はどちらが表だか見分けがつかない。
I cannot tell which is the right side of this paper.
私はその問題がわかっていない。裏と表の区別もついていない。
I don't understand the problem, I could make neither head nor tail of it.
一体何が今晩表であんなひどい音をたてているのか見当もつきません。
I don't know what kind of creature is making such a terrible noise outside tonight.