頬骨

/kepukotu/ → /keɸukot͡su/ → /keukot͡su/ → /kjoːkot͡su/

From Middle Chinese compound 頰骨 (kiep? kwot, literally “cheek + bone”).

• On’yomi: Kan’on
  • (Tokyo) きょ​ーこつ [kyóꜜòkòtsù] (Atamadaka – [1])[1]
  • IPA^(key): [kʲo̞ːko̞t͡sɨᵝ]

頬骨 (shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai kanji 頰骨, hiragana きょうこつ, rōmaji kyōkotsu, historical hiragana けふこつ)

1. cheekbone

• 顴骨 (かんこつ) (kankotsu) (less common, more formal)
• 頬骨 (ほおぼね) (hōbone) (see below; more common)

Compound of 頬 (hō, “cheek, jaw”) +‎ 骨 (hone, “bone”).[2][1] The hone changes to bone as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

• Kun’yomi
  • (Tokyo) ほおぼね [hòóbóné] (Heiban – [0])[1]
  • IPA^(key): [ho̞ːbo̞ne̞]

頬骨 (shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai kanji 頰骨, hiragana ほおぼね, rōmaji hōbone, historical hiragana ほほぼね)

1. cheekbone

• 頬骨 (きょうこつ) (kyōkotsu) (less common, more formal)
• 顴骨 (かんこつ) (kankotsu) (less common, even more formal)

Compound of 頬 (tsura, “face; cheek”) +‎ 骨 (hone, “bone”).[2][1] The hone changes to bone as an instance of rendaku (連濁). The tsura reading for 頬 is rare.

• Kun’yomi
  • (Tokyo) つらぼね [tsùrábóné] (Heiban – [0])[1]
  • IPA^(key): [t͡sɨᵝɾa̠bo̞ne̞]

• 面骨 (more common spelling)

頬骨 (shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai kanji 頰骨, hiragana つらぼね, rōmaji tsurabone)

1. cheekbone
2. one's facial features, one's looks

• (cheekbone): 頬骨 (きょうこつ) (kyōkotsu) (see above; more formal)
• (features): 顔付 (かおつ)き (kaotsuki), 顔立 (かおだ)ち (kaodachi), 面立 (おもだ)ち (omodachi)

The cheekbone sense is more commonly expressed with the reading hōbone.