腰 — Loins / Hips / Waist / Low Wainscoting

Master (高手)よう, こし

Radical ⾁ · radical 130 The building block this kanji is filed under

腰 (readings: よう, こし; Japanese kanji) means “Loins / Hips / Waist / Low Wainscoting”. It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 腰痛 (lower back pain).

Try it now

What does 腰 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	腰
Meaning	Loins / Hips / Waist / Low Wainscoting
Readings	よう, こし
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	腰痛 (lower back pain)

How to read 腰

腰 is read よう or こし depending on the word.

Words with 腰

腰痛đau lưng eo

Learn 腰 in real sentences — free

Read stories and news built from only the kanji you already know. KanjiSchool’s path covers all 2,136 Jōyō kanji — 1,026 ready to learn now.

Start free — no credit card →

Updated: 2026-07-22