Explore 肩 in everyday expressions about the body and movement. Learn each reading with the whole word.

The idea

肩 has 8 strokes; follow the linked stroke-order diagram. 肩 is read かた on its own, and 肩こり is かたこり. 肩を並べる（かたをならべる） means to stand or walk side by side, and can also mean to be equal in rank.

Patterns to compare
Japanese wordReadingExample in context
肩かたMy shoulder hurts.
肩こりかたこりMy shoulders are very stiff.
肩を並べるかたをならべるThe two walk side by side.

Examples

  • 肩かたが痛いたいです。My shoulder hurts.
  • 重おもいかばんを肩かたにかけます。I put a heavy bag over my shoulder.
  • 父ちちの肩かたをもみます。I massage my father’s shoulders.
  • 肩かたこりがひどいです。My shoulders are very stiff.
  • 二人ふたりは肩かたを並ならべて歩あるきます。The two walk side by side.
  • 母ははは私わたしの肩かたに手てを置おきます。My mother puts her hand on my shoulder.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

肩こり refers to stiffness or tension around the shoulders, not simply a shoulder. In 肩を並べる, the phrase may be figurative; context tells you whether people are physically side by side.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 肩 in hiragana.

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    かた

    肩 is かた: 肩が痛いです means “My shoulder hurts.” Learn the noun with its reading.

  2. Write the reading of 肩こり in hiragana.

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    かたこり

    肩こり is かたこり: it describes stiff or tense shoulders. Read the whole word together.

  3. Choose the missing kanji: ＿こり（かたこり）［肩／手］.

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    肩

    肩 completes 肩こり（かたこり）, stiffness around the shoulders. 手 means hand and does not fit here.

Use it today

Write 肩 following the diagram. Cover the table, read 肩こり aloud, and make a sentence with 肩を並べる.