膝蓋骨

Japanese

Kanji in this term
膝	蓋	骨

Etymology

From Sinitic 膝蓋骨.

Noun

膝蓋骨 (hiragana しつがいこつ, romaji shitsugaikotsu)

1. (anatomy) The patella, the kneecap.

Usage notes

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

Synonyms

• 膝の皿 (ひざのさら, hiza no sara)
• 膝皿 (ひざさら, hiza sara)
• 膝頭 (ひざがしら, hizagashira)