細身

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: The spelling is 細身, read ほそみ, and it combines 細, meaning slender, with 身, meaning body or form. It functions as a noun or modifier.
• Basic usage: 細身 describes a person as slender or an object as narrow in width or form.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• A person's build and an object's narrow width
  • Both examples use the form 細身. The first describes the lean build of an athlete who jumps lightly; the second describes a slim shelf selected for a narrow passage.
• A lightly leaping athlete and a shelf for a narrow passage
  • 細身の選手が軽やかに跳び上がった。 — The slender athlete leaped lightly into the air.
  • 通路が狭いので細身の棚を選んだ。 — The passage was narrow, so we chose a slim shelf.