膝の皿

Japanese
Kanji in this term
膝 皿
ひざ
Grade: S		 さら
Grade: 3
kun’yomi

Etymology

Compound of 膝 (hiza, “knee”) +‎ の (no, possessive particle: 's) +‎ 皿 (sara, “dish, plate”), from the shape of the bone.[1]

Pronunciation

Noun

膝の皿 (hiragana ひざのさら, rōmaji hiza no sara)

  1. (anatomy) the kneecap, the patella

Usage notes

Both 膝の皿 (hiza no sara) and 膝皿 (hiza sara) are in use in modern Japanese, with 膝の皿 (hiza no sara) used more frequently. The term 膝蓋骨 (shitsugaikotsu) is somewhat more technical, a bit like English patella compared to kneecap.

Synonyms

Idioms
  • 膝 (ひざ)の皿 (さら)から火 (ひ)が出 (で)る (hiza no sara kara hi ga deru): "fire comes out of one's kneecaps" → To be extremely down and out.
  • 膝 (ひざ)の皿 (さら)に火 (ひ)が付 (つ)く (hiza no sara ni hi ga tsuku): "one's kneecaps catch on fire" → To be extremely down and out.

References
  1. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
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