How to Say "Arms" in Japanese

腕

[ɯ̟de̞]

The Japanese word for arms is 腕.

The word 腕 refers to the limbs of the body between the shoulder and the hand.

Which one should you use?

While 腕 refers to the limb from the shoulder to the wrist, the word 手 (te) refers specifically to the hand.

To specify both arms, you can add the prefix 両 (ryō) to the word, creating 両腕 (ryōude).

In Japanese, the word 腕 is often used metaphorically to refer to a person's skill or expertise in a craft. For example, saying someone has 'strong' 腕 refers to their talent rather than their muscle.
The word 腕 has a hidden reading かいな (kaina) which is used in traditional poetry and certain regional dialects. While usually read as うで (ude), this older form evokes a more nostalgic or rustic feeling.
The term 腕組み (udegumi) refers to crossing one's arms. In Japanese culture, this gesture can signal deep concentration or a defensive posture depending on the social context.

彼は腕の力が強い。
He has powerful arms.
This sentence shows how to describe the strength of someone's 腕.
Tatoeba #98837 by bunbuku, translation #304864 by CK
私は腕を伸ばした。
I stretched out my arms.
This sentence illustrates the action of stretching out one's 腕.
Tatoeba #2139088 by bunbuku, translation #1887693 by CK
こんな風に両腕を挙げてみて。
Raise both of your arms up like this.
This sentence provides an example of how to use the term for both arms.
Tatoeba #9857372 by bunbuku, translation #9853894 by NurseMeeks
彼は手が長くてバスケットボールが得意です。
He has long arms, so he is great at basketball.
24 more sentences on Tatoeba

Ren and Yui are exercising at the gym.

蓮 Ren

結衣、腕のトレーニングをしよう。
Yui, ude no torēningu o shiyō.
Yui, let's do some arm training.
結衣 Yui

いいよ。でも、もう腕が疲れた。
Ii yo. Demo, mō ude ga tsukareta.
Sure. But my arms are already tired.
蓮 Ren

あと一回だけ頑張ろう。
Ato ikkai dake ganbarō.
Let's try just one more time.
結衣 Yui

わかった。蓮に合わせるよ。
Wakatta. Ren ni awaseru yo.
Okay. I'll keep up with you, Ren.

Sources

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