膝皿

Japanese

Kanji in this term
膝	皿

Etymology

Compound of 膝 (hiza, “knee”) +‎ 皿 (sara, “plate”), from the shape of the bone.

Noun

膝皿 (hiragana ひざさら, romaji hiza 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

• 膝蓋骨 (しつがいこつ, shitsugaikotsu)
• 膝の皿 (ひざのさら, hiza no sara)
• 膝頭 (ひざがしら, hizagashira)