腓(こむら)

こむら
noun
calf (of the leg)
body-part
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(こむら)がつった。
I got a cramp in my calf.
マラソンの途中(とちゅう)で腓(こむら)が痛(いた)くなった。
My calf started hurting in the middle of the marathon.
泳(およ)いでいるときに急(きゅう)に腓(こむら)返(がえ)りが起(お)きて、慌(あわ)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(こむら)返(がえ)り (calf cramp; charley horse). In modern everyday Japanese, the calf is more commonly called ふくらはぎ. The kanji 腓(こむら) is rarely used; the word is usually written in hiragana.

Common collocations

  • 腓(こむら)返(がえ)り: calf cramp; charley horse — by far the most common use of this word
  • 腓(こむら)がつる: to get a calf cramp
  • 腓(こむら)の筋肉(きんにく): calf muscle

Similar words

  • ふくらはぎ: calf (of the leg) — the standard modern term, used in everyday conversation
  • 脹脛(ふくらはぎ): calf — kanji spelling of ふくらはぎ, rarely used

Usage

Learners are most likely to encounter this word in the expression 腓(こむら)返(がえ)り. If you experience a sudden painful cramp in your calf — common during exercise, swimming, or while sleeping — that is 腓(こむら)返(がえ)り.

Related Words

Compare: ふくらはぎ (calf)
general
Added 2026.5.4 21:50 · Revised 2026.10.6 21:38
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