I notice Japanese people squatting in this position for long periods of time without using a chair/stool. Thank you.
2 Answers
The most fitting verb for this that I can think of is しゃがむ, rarely written with kanji as 蹲む. Similar terms include かがむ and こごむ; however, these don't have the same sense of "squatting for long periods of time", and might better be translated as "to crouch [such as to pick something up, for かがむ; or to hide, for こごむ]".
In addition to Eiríkr Útlendi's answer, I just want to add some slang expressions: うんこ座り{すわり} or ヤンキー座り{すわり}. "Poop squat" and "yankii squat", respectively. The first one is obvious considering the traditional Japanese-style toilets. The second term refers to the stereotypical image of juvenile delinquents/hoodlums in Japan, ヤンキー, who are known to squat like this.
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1I don't think "thugs" is a good translation of ヤンキー - (チンピラ may be a closer translation of "thugs"); the stereotypical British chav and chavette is closer in image, if not fashion, to how I picture a ヤンキー.– Ken Y-NMar 21, 2017 at 4:42
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Thanks for pointing that out. I agree chav and chavette is a better comparison. Mar 21, 2017 at 16:03
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