How do you say "rib" in Japanese?

肋骨

rokkotsu

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "rib" is 肋骨 (rokkotsu).

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Pronunciation

Roh-koh-tsu, three syllables, another word ending in hone, bone, though shifted to kotsu here.

Writing and usage

肋骨 is written using kanji. It's a noun, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.

Example sentence

転倒時に肋骨を打撲した。

tentouji ni rokkotsu wo daboku shita.

He bruised a rib when he fell.

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How to remember 肋骨

Rokkotsu ends in kotsu, the same bone element as sebone, so bone-related body words start to share a family sound.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about 肋骨

How do you pronounce 肋骨?

Roh-koh-tsu, three syllables, another word ending in hone, bone, though shifted to kotsu here.

Is 肋骨 formal or casual?

肋骨 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is 肋骨 written in Japanese?

肋骨 is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as rokkotsu.

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Rib" in other languages

Curated by Jack Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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