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危座 (きざ) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru'
sitting up straight ; formal upright sitting
Rare, formal term for sitting with correct posture, often contrasted with 正座 (seiza) or 端座 (tanza). Used in classical or literary descriptions of proper sitting.
See also: 正座 (せいざ) · 端座
He sat upright on the tatami and quietly prepared tea.
Written forms 危き 座ざ
Rare kanji spelling; the word itself is uncommon and mostly found in classical or formal contexts.
危き 坐ざ
Variant kanji spelling using 坐 instead of 座; equally rare.
Similar words 正せい 座ざ 正座 is the common word for sitting formally on one's knees, while 危座 is a rare, classical term for sitting up straight, not necessarily in the seiza posture.
端たん 座ざ 端座 also means sitting upright and formally, but is slightly less rare than 危座 and may appear in more modern literary contexts.
Etymology The kanji 危 (danger, high, steep) combined with 座 (sit) suggests a posture of alert, upright sitting. The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the word is now rare and mostly found in classical texts.
