also: つらづえ
noun
resting one's chin in one's hands
Describes the posture of supporting one's chin with one's hand(s), often while sitting at a desk or thinking. Commonly used in the phrase 頬杖をつく.
See also: 頬杖をつく
彼は机に頬杖をついて考え込んでいた。
He was deep in thought with his chin resting on his hand at the desk.
授業中
Resting your chin on your hand during class is considered bad manners.
noun
brace; angle brace
Only with reading ほおづえ
A construction term for a diagonal support or brace. This meaning is restricted to the reading ほおづえ and is a homophone of 方杖.
See also: 方杖
この棚には補強のために頬杖が取り付けられている。
A brace is attached to this shelf for reinforcement.
Variant kanji form using 頰, which is an older or less common character for 頬.
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially when the kanji are not needed.
Archaic spelling associated with the obsolete reading つらづえ.
Same reading and similar meaning (brace), but 方杖 is the more common kanji for the construction term.
Compound of 頬 (hō, 'cheek') and 杖 (tsue, 'cane, stick'), literally 'cheek cane'. The reading ほおづえ is a rendaku form of つえ. The construction sense is a homophone of 方杖, which uses 方 ('direction, side') instead of 頬.