How do you say "toe" in Japanese?

つま先

tsuma saki

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "toe" is つま先 (tsuma saki).

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Pronunciation

Tsuma saki is tsoo-mah-sah-kee, four syllables, the tricky opening 'tsu' softening quickly into the rest.

Writing and usage

つま先 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

彼は椅子につま先をぶつけた。

kareha isu nitsuma saki wobutsuketa.

He stubbed his toe on the chair.

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How to remember つま先

Literally meaning 'tip of the nail', tsoo-mah-sah-kee, picture the very tip of your toe as you say it.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about つま先

How do you pronounce つま先?

Tsuma saki is tsoo-mah-sah-kee, four syllables, the tricky opening 'tsu' softening quickly into the rest.

Is つま先 formal or casual?

つま先 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 つま先 written in Japanese?

つま先 is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as tsuma saki.

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.

"Toe" in other languages

Curated by Callan 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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