かかと

also: きびす · くびす · あくと

か

と

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

usually written using kana alone

Refers to the heel of a foot, shoe, or stocking. The word is usually written in kana.

〈物もの〉のかかとが減へるthe heel (of a shoe, etc.) wears down
この靴くつ、かかとがすり減へってきた。
The heels of these shoes have started to wear down.
かかとを上あげるto raise one's heels (e.g. standing on tiptoe)
運うん動どうのためにかかとを上あげて歩あるく。
I walk with my heels raised as an exercise.
かかとが痛いたいone's heel hurts
長ちょう時じ間かん歩あるいたのでかかとが痛いたい。
My heel hurts because I walked for a long time.
かかとを地じ面めんにつけるto put one's heel on the ground
ヨガの姿し勢せいでかかとを地じ面めんにつける。
In this yoga pose, you place your heel on the ground.

つま先さきN2
つま先 is the tip of the foot (the toes), while 踵（かかと）is the back of the foot; the two are commonly contrasted as front and back.
トゥ
踵 (heel) is the opposite end of the foot from トゥ (toe).

かかとUsage41%
The word is usually written in kana; this is the most common spelling.
踵Usage47%
- かかと
  Kanji form; less common but still encountered, especially in literary or technical contexts.
- きびす
- あくと
- くびす
きびすUsage7%
Archaic or literary reading; rarely used in modern speech.
カカトUsage5%
くびす
Archaic or literary reading; rarely used in modern speech.
あくと
Archaic or dialectal reading; not used in standard modern Japanese.

The origin is uncertain. The word is native Japanese, and the kanji 踵 is a semantic borrowing from Chinese.