跪ひざまずく

also: ひざまづく

ひ

ざ

ま

ず

く

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

跪く · godan verb (-ku)

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	跪ひざまずく	跪ひざまずかない
Polite	跪ひざまずきます	跪ひざまずきません
Past polite	跪ひざまずきました	跪ひざまずきませんでした
Past	跪ひざまずいた	跪ひざまずかなかった
Te-form	跪ひざまずいて	跪ひざまずかないで
Desire	跪ひざまずきたい	跪ひざまずきたくない
Potential	跪ひざまずける	跪ひざまずけない
Passive	跪ひざまずかれる	跪ひざまずかれない
Causative	跪ひざまずかせる	跪ひざまずかせない
Causative passive	跪ひざまずかせられるalso 跪ひざまずかされる	跪ひざまずかせられないalso 跪ひざまずかされない
Volitional	跪ひざまずこう
Polite volitional	跪ひざまずきましょう
Imperative	跪ひざまずけ	跪ひざまずくな
Conditional	跪ひざまずけば	跪ひざまずかなければ
Tara conditional	跪ひざまずいたら	跪ひざまずかなかったら

Meanings

godan verb (-ku), intransitive verb

kneel; genuflect

usually written using kana alone

Used for kneeling down, typically as a gesture of respect, submission, or formal apology. Often implies a deliberate, respectful action rather than just being on one's knees.

彼かれは王おうの前まえにひざまずいた。
He knelt before the king.
謝しゃ罪ざいの気き持もちを表あらわすために、床ゆかにひざまずいた。
To express his apology, he knelt on the floor.

See all 21 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉の前まえにひざまずくto kneel before someone
彼かれは王おうの前まえにひざまずいた。
He knelt before the king.
〈人ひと〉にひざまずくto kneel to someone, submitting to them
兵へい士したちは敵てきの将しょう軍ぐんにひざまずいた。
The soldiers knelt to the enemy general.
ひざまずいて祈いのるto kneel and pray
彼かの女じょは教きょう会かいでひざまずいて祈いのった。
She knelt and prayed in the church.
ひざまずいて謝あやまるto kneel down and apologize
彼かれは涙なみだを流ながしながらひざまずいて謝あやまった。
He knelt down in tears and apologized.

Kanji

跪kneel
膝knee, lap

Related words

座すわるN5
座る is the general verb for sitting down, while 跪く specifically means to go down on one's knees, usually as a gesture of respect or submission.
正せい座ざN1
正座する describes the formal seated kneeling posture used in Japanese settings, while 跪く refers to the act of dropping to one's knees, often briefly and for a specific gesture.
平へい伏ふく
平伏する means to prostrate oneself flat on the ground in extreme deference, a more dramatic gesture than 跪く, which is just kneeling.

Opposites

立たつN5
立つ means to stand up, the physical opposite of 跪く, which means to kneel down.

Written forms

跪くUsage32%
- ひざまずく
  Standard kanji form; usually written in kana.
- ひざまづく
ひざまずくUsage65%
Kana spelling is the most common practical written form for this word.
ひざまづくUsage3%
膝ひざまづく
irregular kanji usage
Irregular kanji usage; まづく is a non-standard rendering of まずく. The reading ひざまづく is a variant pronunciation.
膝ひざまずく
Search-only kanji form; not a standard spelling.

Etymology

Compound of 膝 (hiza, 'knee') + まずく (mazuku, an old verb meaning 'to bend' or 'to kneel'). The kanji 跪 is a single character representing the action of kneeling.