1.
calf; calf muscle (of the leg)
The fleshy back part of the lower leg between the knee and the ankle. Most commonly encountered in the compound こむら返り (leg cramp).
腓がつった。
I got a cramp in my calf.
マラソンの途中で腓が痛くなった。
My calf started hurting in the middle of the marathon.
泳いでいるときに急に腓返りが起きて、慌ててプールサイドにつかまった。
I suddenly got a calf cramp while swimming and grabbed onto the pool edge in a panic.
An older anatomical term that survives mainly in the compound 腓返り (calf cramp; charley horse). In modern everyday Japanese, the calf is more commonly called ふくらはぎ. The kanji 腓 is rarely used; the word is usually written in hiragana.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 腓返り: calf cramp; charley horse — by far the most common use of this word
- 腓がつる: to get a calf cramp
- 腓の筋肉: calf muscle
SIMILAR WORDS:
- ふくらはぎ: calf (of the leg) — the standard modern term, used in everyday conversation
- 脹脛: calf — kanji spelling of ふくらはぎ, rarely used
NOTE ON USAGE:
Learners are most likely to encounter this word in the expression 腓返り. If you experience a sudden painful cramp in your calf — common during exercise, swimming, or while sleeping — that is 腓返り.