Abstract: A piston 2 for an internal combustion engine includes side wall portions 12 connecting skirt portions 10 to pin boss portions 6 so as to support the skirt portions 10 in a direction perpendicular to an axis 8 of the pin boss portions. The skirt supporting stiffness of each side wall portion 12 is gradually changed in an axial direction of the piston 2 so as to have a maximum stiffness at a lower end portion of the side wall portions b 12 and to decrease in the direction upwardly away from the lower end portion of the side wall portion 12. Due to this structure, the skirt portion 10 is unlikely to be deformed at its lower end portion so that a clearance between the skirt portion 10 and a cylinder bore surface 20 is maintained small. Further, the skirt portion 10 has a soft structure at the shoulder of the skirt portion 10 so that a shock at the shoulder will be decreased to prevent breakage of an oil membrane from happening at the upper portion of the skirt portion 10.