腰
Meaning in Englishwaist, hips, lower back
Animated kanji stroke order
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Word context
What it means
腰 means the waist or lower back, the anatomical area between the ribs and pelvis; it also appears in expressions about posture, movement, and health.
Main meanings
- Anatomical meaning: the waist, lower back, and hip region around the torso.
- Figurative uses: referring to one's core, center of gravity, or stability in expressions such as 腰を据える.
- Seating and posture compounds: terms like 腰掛け relate to seating or supported posture.
How to use it
Common in everyday and formal speech; used to describe bodily state with 腰が痛い, actions involving posture such as 腰を据える, and in compound nouns describing body areas or seating; used both literally and in set phrases.
Variants and close terms
- 腰部 (ようぶ) — anatomical term for the waist region
- 腰回り (こしまわり) — around the waist
- 腰掛け (こしかけ) — seat/bench, related to seating terms
Etymology
kun こし and on ヨウ readings; historically consolidated in classical Japanese; no major phonetic shifts in modern usage; the kanji remains the same while readings pinned to native and Sino-Japanese systems.
Origin
The concept has appeared in Japanese writing since the classical period; it was part of everyday anatomy and movement language, with usage continuing through medieval to Edo periods and beyond, expanding into common expressions about posture and health.
Word class
Noun (名詞)