Learn 腰 in everyday situations involving the waist, lower back and sitting down.
The idea
腰 has 13 strokes. Its common reading is こし, as in 腰（こし） and 腰痛（ようつう）, where the compound uses よう. Learn each reading with its word.
Examples
- 腰が痛いです。My lower back hurts.
- 椅子に腰を下ろしました。I sat down on a chair.
- 彼女は腰に手を当てました。She put her hands on her hips.
- 腰をゆっくり曲げてください。Please bend at the waist slowly.
- このベルトは腰を支えます。This belt supports the lower back.
- 彼は荷物を持ち上げて腰を痛めました。He hurt his lower back while lifting luggage.
Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.
No Japanese device voice is available. You can still read the text and use the linked listening resources.
Watch out
腰 can mean the waist, hips or lower back depending on context. 腰を下ろす means to sit down, not literally to lower only the waist.
Try it yourself
Write the reading of 腰 in hiragana.
Show answer or example answer
こし
腰 is read こし; 腰が痛い describes pain in the lower back.
Write the reading of 腰痛 in hiragana.
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ようつう
腰痛 is read ようつう and means lower-back pain; the compound uses よう.
Choose the kanji: ＿を下ろす［腰／要］.
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腰
腰 completes 腰を下ろす, an expression meaning to sit down.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Japanese sentences where available. We keep your score.
Write the reading of 腰 in hiragana.
Write the reading of 腰痛 in hiragana.
Choose the kanji: ＿を下ろす［腰／要］.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Write 腰 using the linked stroke diagram, then read 腰 and 腰痛 aloud and make a sentence with one.