膝頭

Japanese

Kanji in this term
膝	頭

Etymology

Compound of 膝 (kashira, “knee”) +‎ 頭 (“head; top, tip”).

Noun

膝頭 (hiragana ひざがしら, romaji hizagashira)

1. (anatomy) The front of the knee.
2. (anatomy) The kneecap, the patella.

Usage notes

This term is even more general in meaning than 膝の皿 (hiza no sara) / 膝皿 (hiza sara) or 膝蓋骨 (shitsugaikotsu).

Synonyms

• (kneecap): 膝蓋骨 (しつがいこつ, shitsugaikotsu)
• (kneecap): 膝の皿 (ひざのさら, hiza no sara)
• (kneecap): 膝皿 (ひざさら, hiza sara)

Idioms

• 膝頭で江戸へ行く (ひざがしらでえどへいく, hizagashira de Edo e iku): "to to Edo on one's knees" → To rush into something without taking time to prepare, and consequently work harder and get less done in the process.
• 膝頭で箱根は越されぬ (ひざがしらではこねはこされぬ, hizagashira de Hakone wa kosarenu): "one cannot get through Hakone (Pass) on one's knees" → To rush into something without taking time to prepare, and consequently work harder and get less done in the process.