腿
tuǐ/tʰu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴/
The English word "leg" is translated into Chinese as 腿 (tuǐ). Wiktionary also lists 腳 / 脚 (jiǎo).
Meaning: lower limb from groin to ankle (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 腿 | tuǐ | /tʰu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /tʰuei⁵³/ (Mandarin, Chengdu, Sinological IPA) |
|
| 腳 / 脚 | jiǎo | ||
| 腿 | thúi | /tʰui⁴¹/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Philippines, Sinological IPA, Kaohsiung, General Taiwanese, Longyan) /tʰui⁵³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Philippines, Sinological IPA, Taipei, General Taiwanese, Longyan) |
Hokkien |
| 跤腿 | kha-thúi | /kʰa³³ tʰui⁵⁵⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, Philippines, Sinological IPA, General Taiwanese) /kʰa⁴⁴⁻²² tʰui⁵³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, Philippines, Sinological IPA, General Taiwanese) |
Hokkien |
| 跤 | kha | /kʰa³³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, Taipei, Tainan, Yilan, Philippines, Singapore, Sinological IPA, Sanxia, General Taiwanese) /kʰa⁴⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, Taipei, Tainan, Yilan, Philippines, Singapore, Sinological IPA, Kaohsiung, Sanxia, General Taiwanese) |
Hokkien |
The term 腿 refers specifically to the entire leg, including the thigh and the lower leg. If you need to be more specific, 大腿 refers to the thigh and 小腿 refers to the lower leg or calf.
Which one should you use?
It is important to distinguish between the leg and the foot. While 腿 refers to the entire leg, 脚 specifically refers to the foot.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Dungan, the word for leg is туй. In Hokkien, several forms are used: 腿 and 跤腿 can both mean leg, while 跤 can also be used.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation for 腿 is tuǐ.
Did you know?
- The word for 'leg' in Dungan is туй, which is written using the Cyrillic alphabet.
- The character for leg, 腿, is a phono-semantic compound where the 'flesh' radical 肉 provides the meaning and the character 退 provides the sound.
- The word 跤 is often used in the names of traditional martial arts or wrestling styles, such as '摔跤' which means wrestling.
Examples in context
- 他的腿受伤了。He was injured in the leg.This sentence is useful for describing an injury to the 腿.Tatoeba #1577198 by GlossaMatik, translation #1577214 by eastasiastudent
- 把你的腿抬起來Raise your leg.This sentence is useful for giving an instruction to raise the 腿.Tatoeba #6049580 by magicalrpetz47, translation #6049411 by mailohilohi
- 一位老人在街上摔斷了腿。An elderly person in the street fell and broke a leg.This sentence is useful for describing a broken 腿.Tatoeba #6031656 by xjjAstrus, translation #7681633 by potatoindespair
- 我拉伤了大腿 (Wǒ lā shāng le dà tuǐ)I pulled a muscle in my thigh.
- 这种运动有助于锻炼小腿肌肉 (Zhè zhǒng yùndòng yǒu zhù yú duànliàn xiǎo tuǐ jīròu)This exercise helps to strengthen the muscles in the lower leg.
- 16 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Haoran and Zihan are talking about a gym workout.
- 浩然 Haoran我的腿今天很痠。Wǒ de tuǐ jīntiān hěn suān.My legs are very sore today.
- 梓涵 Zihan你昨天練腿了嗎？Nǐ zuótiān liàn tuǐ le ma?Did you do leg day yesterday?
- 浩然 Haoran對，我做了很多深蹲。Duì, wǒ zuò le hěn duō shēn dūn.Yes, I did a lot of squats.
- 梓涵 Zihan難怪你的腿這麼累。Nánguài nǐ de tuǐ zhème lèi.No wonder your legs are so tired.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “leg” translations and entries 腿, 腿, 跤腿, 跤, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 腿, 跤, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
