Koshi ga Hikui (腰が低い - Humble)

Koshi ga Hikui

I am sometimes told 'koshi ga hikui' (腰が低い).

Since 'koshi' (腰) means "low back" or "waist" and 'hikui' (低い) means "low," the literal meaning of 'koshi ga hikui' is "one's low back is low."

In actual conversation, this phrase is used to mean that someone is humble or modest.

You can also say 'teishisei' (低姿勢), by combining 'tei' (低 - "low") and 'shisei' (姿勢 - "posture").

Incidentally, if you say 'koshi ga takai' (腰が高い) by using 'takai' (高い - "high") instead of 'hikui', you can mean that someone is arrogant, but this phrase is not often used.

腰が低い

私はたまに「腰が低い」と言われます。

「腰」は "low back" や "waist"、「低い」は "low" を意味するので、「腰が低い」の文字どおりの意味は "one's low back is low" となります。

実際には、「他人に対してへりくだっている」や「謙虚」であることを意味する際に用いられます。

"Low" を意味する「低」と "posture" を意味する「姿勢」を組み合わせて、「低姿勢」と言うこともあります。

ちなみに、 横柄であることを意味するために "high" を意味する「高い」を使って「腰が高い」言うこともできますが、この表現はあまり使われません。

• Since 'koshi' (腰) means "low back" or "waist" and 'hikui' (低い) means "low," the literal meaning of 'koshi ga hikui' is "one's low back is low."
• Since 'koshi' (腰) means "lower back" or "waist" and 'hikui' (低い) means "low," the literal meaning of 'koshi ga hikui' is "one's lower back is low."