座る vs 腰をかける
Japanese word comparison
Listen to 座る
Listen to 腰をかける
| 座る | 腰をかける |
|---|---|
su-WA-ru verb (intransitive, godan) | こしをかける (koshi o kakeru) verb (intransitive, godan) |
| to sit; to take a seat (intransitive) | to sit down; to take a seat (literally 'to rest one's hips') |
How they differ
腰をかける emphasizes the physical action of lowering oneself and often implies a brief or casual sit; it focuses more on the act of perching or resting the hips than the neutral state 'to sit' expressed by 座る. It is often used when someone sits down temporarily or in informal contexts.
When to use each
When to use 座る: Prefer 座る for a neutral, general description of sitting in everyday situations.
When to use 腰をかける: Prefer 腰をかける when you want to stress the action of lowering yourself or imply a short, casual sit.
Side-by-side examples
- ここに座ってください。
(Please sit here.) - ここに腰をかけてください。
(Please have a seat here (literally: rest your hips here).)
Register & nuance: 腰をかける is slightly more colloquial and image-rich than neutral 座る, and is common in everyday spoken Japanese.