Meaning

Primary

To Bend Down

Alternatives

To Lean Over, To Crouch, To Bow

Word Type

intransitive verb, godan verb

Explanation

This word consists of kanji with hiragana attached. Because the hiragana ends with an sound, you know this word is a verb. The kanji itself means yield, and when you do that to someone else you tend to lean over or to bow to show them respect.

Reading

かがむ
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

Since this word consists of a kanji with hiragana attached, you can bet that it will use the kun'yomi reading. You didn't learn that reading with this kanji, so here's a mnemonic to help you:

Who do you need to stoop and to bow before? Takeshi Kaga (かが), that's Chairman Kaga to you! Before you can start cooking for him in Iron Chef, you must bow! Otherwise you'll be disqualified for being rude.

Context

Context Sentences

屈むと腰が痛いんです。

I get a pain in my lower back when I bend down.

屈んで靴下をはきました。

I bent down and put on my socks.

急に胸が締めつけられているような感覚におそわれ、屈んでしまった。

I suddenly felt a tightening in my chest and leaned over.

Kanji Composition