Usage patterns 〈 人ひと 〉 の 腕うで を 組く む to fold one's arms
He crossed his arms and thought in silence.
腕うで に 自じ 信しん がある to be confident in one's skill
He is confident in his cooking skills.
腕うで を 鍛きた える to train one's arm strength
He trained his arms every day and built up muscle.
〈 人ひと 〉 の 腕うで を 掴つか む to grab someone by the arm
The police officer grabbed the man's arm to stop him.
〈 人ひと 〉 に 腕うで を 貸か す to lend someone a hand; to help someone with one's skill
I lent a hand to a friend who was in trouble.
Expressions· 21 腕うで がいい skilled; skillful; competent; good at something 腕うで を 磨みが く polish one's skills; improve one's ability 腕うで が 上あ がる improve one's skill; get better at something 腕うで を 上あ げる improve one's skill; get better at something 腕うで を 振ふ るう exercise one's talent; display one's ability Show 3 more Show fewer 腕うで が 悪わる い unskilled; incompetent; poor at something See all 21 in Explore →
Related words· 6 腕前 is a noun meaning 'level of skill' and is used to describe how good someone is, while 腕 is the broader word that also means the ability itself, as in 腕がいい .
腕力 is a more formal, specific term for physical arm strength, while 腕 can mean arm strength but also arm or skill depending on context.
実力 emphasizes proven, demonstrable ability (often in competition or work), while 腕 is a more casual, everyday word for skill.
腕 （かいな ）is a dated, literary word for the arm, while 腕 （うで ）is the ordinary modern reading used in everyday speech.
Show 2 more Show fewer 腕 specifically means the arm from shoulder to wrist (or skill), while 手 more broadly covers the hand and can extend to the whole arm plus many idiomatic senses like effort or method.
腕 describes a person's overall skill or proficiency, whereas 技 points to an individual technique or move they use.
Don't confuse with 手 refers only to the hand, while 腕 refers to the whole arm from shoulder to wrist, so learners often mix up which part they mean.
腕 refers to the whole arm, while 手首 is specifically the wrist joint at its end, so learners often mix up which part they mean.
アーム refers to a mechanical or structural arm (e.g. a robot arm or chair arm), while 腕 is the word for a human being's actual arm.
腕 literally means 'arm' and can also colloquially mean 'skill,' but 腕前 is the dedicated noun for skill level and cannot mean the body part.
Counted with book; volume; script · this; present; current; in question · main; head; principal · real; genuine; regular; proper · counter for long cylindrical objects; counter for films, TV shows, etc.; counter for goals, home runs, etc.; counter for telephone calls
Word family· 40 wristwatch; watch
right arm · right-hand man; trusted assistant · right-handed pitcher
ability; skill; proficiency
left arm · left-handed pitcher
remarkable ability; mastery; brilliant technique · go-getter; resourceful person; wizard; virtuoso
Show 21 more Show fewer one arm · right-hand man; trusted assistant
bracelet; bangle
showing off physical strength; relying on brute force
push-up
highly skilled; very capable; competent · expert; master-hand; person of ability
folding one's arms; crossing one's arms
arm wrestling
dominant arm; one's stronger arm
rolling up one's sleeves
testing one's skill; trying one's hand
physical strength; muscle power
upper arm · lower arm
both arms
thin arm; slender arm · slender means; meager livelihood
end of the arm; forearm area; wrist and hand area
crossarm; bracket; semaphore arm
using one's arm as a pillow
arm hair
arm glove; arm warmer
arm glove; arm warmer; sleevelet · bracelet · leather thread on a sword guard or pommel · hole in the butt end of a Chinese spear
wrist
See all 40 in Explore →
Written forms 腕うで Usage 98%
Standard kanji spelling for all senses.
うで Usage 2%
ウデ Usage 1%
Etymology The kanji 腕 is a phono-semantic compound with 肉 (flesh) and 宛 (a phonetic component). The word うで is a native Japanese word (yamato-kotoba) with an uncertain origin, possibly related to 上 (ue, 'upper') and 手 (te, 'hand'), but this is speculative.
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