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Kotomora

窄

narrow, fold, furl, shrug, pucker, shut, close

StatusJinmeiyōStrokes10

Readings

On'yomi

  • サク

Kun'yomi

  • すぼ.める
  • つぼ.める
  • せま.い

Meaning

窄 centers on making something narrower or more closed: physically narrowing an opening, folding or furling something to reduce its width, or puckering and shutting tightly. The shrug sense is a natural extension of drawing inward.

Most common words using 窄

  • 狭窄きょうさく

    contraction; narrowing

  • 窄むすぼむ

    to get narrower; to contract

  • 窄めるすぼめる

    to make narrower; to shut (an umbrella); to shrug (one's shoulders); to purse (one's lips)

  • 屁をひって尻窄めへをひってしりつぼめ

    there is no use shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted; squeezing your buttocks after you have farted

  • 幽門狭窄ゆうもんきょうさく

    pyloric stenosis

  • 椎間孔狭窄ついかんこうきょうさく

    vertebral canal stenosis

  • 異型大動脈縮窄症いけいだいどうみゃくしゅくさくしょう

    atypical coarctation of aorta

  • 窄まるすぼまる

    to get narrower; to contract

  • 窄むつぼむ

    to close (of flowers); to shut

  • 肺動脈弁狭窄症はいどうみゃくべんきょうさくしょう

    pulmonary valve stenosis

  • 脊柱管狭窄症せきちゅうかんきょうさくしょう

    spinal canal stenosis

  • 血管狭窄けっかんきょうさく

    angiostenosis

  • 視野狭窄しやきょうさく

    narrowing of visual field; narrow-mindedness; lack of vision

  • 頸動脈狭窄症けいどうみゃくきょうさくしょう

    carotid stenosis; carotid artery stenosis

Explore all words using 窄 →

Study

Etymology

窄 combines 穴 (hole, cavity) with 乍, which likely contributes the sound and the idea of something being narrow or constricted. The exact historical development of 乍 in this context is uncertain.

Meaning mnemonic

The top 穴 is a hole or cavity, and the bottom 乍 looks like a person squeezing through. Imagine someone trying to fit through a narrow hole, having to fold their body and pucker up to get through.

Reading mnemonic

For サク, imagine a narrow sack being pulled tight: sack -> サク, and the sack narrows as it closes.