Japanese symbol for “loin”

側腹

そくふく

Romaji: sokufuku

flank; side; loin; latus

In Japanese, loin is 側腹, read そくふく (sokufuku).

Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.

Meanings

n flank; side; loin; latus

Written forms: 側腹. Readings: そくふく、そばはら.

Kanji and stroke order

側

side, lean, oppose

on: ソク
kun: かわ、がわ、そば

11 strokes · JLPT 2

腹

abdomen, belly, stomach

on: フク
kun: はら

13 strokes · JLPT 2

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
側面	そくめん sokumen	side; flank; profile
内側	うちがわ uchigawa	inside; interior; inner part
外側	そとがわ sotogawa	exterior; outside; outer
右側	みぎがわ migigawa	right side; right-hand side
左側	ひだりがわ hidarigawa	left side; left-hand side
両側	りょうがわ ryougawa	both sides
空腹	くうふく kuufuku	empty stomach; hunger
満腹	まんぷく manpuku	full stomach; filling one's stomach; eating one's fill

See also: Chinese symbol for “loin”.

Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.