What is the difference between 腰掛ける and 座る?


What is the difference between 腰掛ける and 座る?




This is a nice cultural question.

「[座]{すわ}る」 _**originally**_ means "to sit on the floor or ground".

「[腰掛]{こしか}ける」 means "to sit on a chair or something that has a certain
height".

Nowadays, however, it is perfectly OK to use 座る when sitting on a chair, too,
as in 「イスに座る = "to sit on a chair"」.

Older people still often use the word (noun) 「腰かけ」 instead of 「イス」 to refer to
a chair as well.

* * *

For the advanced learner, 腰掛 can also mean "temporary employment" in informal
speech --- "a chair to sit on for a few months" kinda thing.

