seiza

S1E1I1Z10A1

noun

A traditional formal way of sitting in Japan, by kneeling with the legs folded underneath the thighs and the buttocks resting on the heels, with ankles turned outward.

OriginJapanese 正座 →
Scrabble 14
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Meanings

nounseiza (uncountable)
  1. uncountableA traditional formal way of sitting in Japan, by kneeling with the legs folded underneath the thighs and the buttocks resting on the heels, with ankles turned outward.

    She arranged herself with her legs folded beneath her, spine erect, echoing “seiza”, the Japanese sitting position adopted in formal situations.

    2024 February 10, Helen Barrett, “The underappreciated style of Yoko Ono”, in FT Weekend (Life & Arts section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 5

Origin

  1. Japanese正座
  2. Englishseiza

From Japanese 正座 (seiza, literally “proper sitting”).

More words from Japanese

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

seiza. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/seiza

MLA

“seiza.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/seiza. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “seiza,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/seiza.

Source: seiza on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.