両りょう肩かた

also: りょうけん

りょ

う

か

た

Meanings

both shoulders

Refers to the left and right shoulders together. Often used in contexts of carrying burdens, massage, or physical description.

重おもい荷に物もつを両りょう肩かたに担かついで運はこんだ。
I carried the heavy load on both shoulders.
両りょう肩かたのこりがひどくて、マッサージに行いった。
I had terrible stiffness in both shoulders, so I went for a massage.

Kanji

両both, old Japanese coin, counter for carriages (e.g., in a train)
肩shoulder

Related words

肩かた
Refers to a single shoulder or shoulders in general, while 両肩 specifically means both shoulders.
片かた肩かた
Means one shoulder; contrasts with 両肩.

Built from

両りょう+肩かた

Written forms

両肩Usage100%
- りょうかた
  Standard kanji spelling; the reading りょうかた is the most common.
- りょうけん
  Alternate reading; less common and may be encountered in older or formal contexts.
りょうけん

Etymology

Compound of 両 (both) and 肩 (shoulder). The reading りょうかた is the standard combination of the on'yomi りょう and kun'yomi かた; りょうけん uses the on'yomi けん for 肩, which is less common.