急きゅう所しょ

きゅ

う

しょ

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

vital point; weak spot; tender spot

Refers to a physically vulnerable part of the body, such as the solar plexus or temple. Often used in martial arts or self-defense contexts.

則そく

だ

。

In boxing, targeting vital points is a foul.

彼かれは相あい手ての急きゅう所しょを正せい確かくに突ついた。

He accurately struck his opponent's weak spot.

2

crux; key point; heart of the matter

Figurative use for the most important or sensitive part of an issue, argument, or problem.

3

Colloquial use for the male crotch as a target in fighting. Often used in the phrase 急所を蹴る (kick in the groin).

〈人ひと〉の急きゅう所しょを蹴けるto kick someone in a vital point (e.g. the groin)
彼かれは相あい手ての急きゅう所しょを蹴けって倒たおした。
He kicked his opponent in a vital spot and knocked him down.
急きゅう所しょを押おさえるto grasp the crux of the matter
彼かれの説せつ明めいは問もん題だいの急きゅう所しょを押おさえていた。
His explanation got right to the heart of the issue.
急きゅう所しょを外はずすto miss a vital point (in an attack)
とっさに身みをかわして急きゅう所しょを外はずした。
He dodged just in time and avoided the vital point.
急きゅう所しょに打うつto play a stone at the vital point (in go)
この局きょく面めんでは急きゅう所しょに打うつのが最さい善ぜんだ。
In this position, playing at the vital point is the best move.

弱じゃく点てんN3sense 1
弱点 is a general weak point or flaw in a person or thing, while 急所 highlights a specific, often decisive vulnerable spot.
核かく心しんN1sense 2
核心 refers to the essential core of an issue in a more formal, abstract way, while 急所 keeps a vivid sense of a 'vulnerable point' even when used figuratively.
要よう点てんN2sense 2
要点 means the main point of a discussion or text neutrally, whereas 急所 stresses the single most critical or sensitive point.
キーポイント
急所 literally means a vital spot and is used for the most critical, often vulnerable, point of an issue, while キーポイント is more neutral and general.

金きん的てき sense 3
金的 specifically means the testicles as a target, while 急所 in this colloquial sense is the broader term for the groin area.
壺つぼN1
急所 means a vital or weak point (often physical, like a body's soft spot), while つぼ as a pressure point specifically refers to acupuncture/shiatsu points.

Compound of 急 (urgent, critical) and 所 (place). The meaning 'vital point' is a straightforward extension of the kanji meanings.