loins, hips, waist, low wainscoting
On'yomi (音読み)
- ヨウ
Kun'yomi (訓読み)
- こし
About this kanji
The kanji 腰 (こし) mainly refers to the loins, hips, or waist. It's commonly used as a noun and appears in several useful compounds. For example, 腰痛 (ようつう) means lower back pain, which many people can relate to, while 足腰 (あしこし) refers to both legs and loins, often mentioning overall body strength. Another interesting compound is 本腰 (ほんごし), which describes putting in a serious effort, similar to saying someone is really getting to work. Note that 腰掛け (こしかけ) means a seat or to sit down. This kanji often appears in conversations about health or physical activities, so it's handy to know!
Example sentences
腰が痛くて立てない。
I can't stand up because my back hurts.
Meanings across languages
- English
- loins, hips, waist, low wainscoting
- Tiếng Việt
- hông, hông, eo, chiều dài dưới
- 日本語
- 腰, ヒップ, ウエスト, 低い腰
- 한국어
- 허리, 엉덩이, 허리, 하단
- 中文
- 腰, 臀部, 腰部, 低层
- id
- pinggul
- th
- สะโพก
- es
- cadera
- fr
- hanches
- de
- Hüfte
- pt
- coxas
Common compounds
- 腰痛ようつうlower back pain, lumbago
- 足腰あしこしlegs and loins, lower body, foundations
- 本腰ほんごしstrenuous effort, earnestness, seriousness
- 腰掛けこしかけseat, bench, temporary job while looking for a better job or until one marries
- 腰掛けるこしかけるto sit (down)
- 弱腰よわごしweak attitude
- 物腰ものごしmanner, demeanour, demeanor
- 丸腰まるごしunarmed, without weapons
Want to actually learn this kanji?
The dictionary is one view. The Kanji 360 app wraps every character with mnemonic images, audio readings, stroke-order animation, story context, and SRS scheduling — free to start on iPhone, iPad, and Android.