noun
shuffling on one's knees; crawling on the ground
Describes moving while seated or kneeling, pulling oneself along with the hands or shuffling on the knees, often due to inability to walk.
彼は足をけがして、いざりで部屋の中を移動した。
He injured his leg and moved around the room by shuffling on his knees.
noun
cripple; person who cannot walk
Sensitive and now largely considered derogatory; used historically to refer to a person with a mobility impairment. Modern usage is rare and may be offensive.
昔の文献では「いざり」という言葉が身体障害者を指して使われていた。
In old documents, the word 'izari' was used to refer to people with physical disabilities.
匍匐 means crawling on all fours, typically with the belly on the ground, while いざり specifically refers to shuffling on the knees or buttocks.
Derived from the verb いざる (to shuffle on one's knees). The kanji 膝行 literally means 'knee-going', while 躄 is a less common character for the same concept. The exact historical derivation is uncertain.