How do you say "wrist" in Japanese?

手首

tekubi

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "wrist" is 手首 (tekubi).

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Pronunciation

Teh-koo-BEE, three syllables, built from te, hand, plus kubi, neck, meaning literally hand-neck.

Writing and usage

手首 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

彼は腕時計を手首につけていた。

kareha udedokei wo tekubi nitsuketeita.

He wore a watch on his wrist.

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How to remember 手首

Tekubi means hand-neck, the narrow joint where the hand meets the arm, just like a neck connects head to body.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about 手首

How do you pronounce 手首?

Teh-koo-BEE, three syllables, built from te, hand, plus kubi, neck, meaning literally hand-neck.

Is 手首 formal or casual?

手首 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 手首 written in Japanese?

手首 is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as tekubi.

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.

"Wrist" 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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