膝 — “Knee / Lap” in Japanese

Master (高手)しつ, ひざ

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

“Knee / Lap” in Japanese is 膝, read shitsu, hiza (しつ, ひざ). 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 膝 (knee).

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What does 膝 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	膝
Meaning	Knee / Lap
Readings	しつ, ひざ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	膝 (knee)

How to read 膝

膝 is read shitsu (しつ) or hiza (ひざ) depending on the word.

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Kanji read the same way as 膝

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Updated: 2026-08-28