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Kotomora

縮

shrink, contract, shrivel, wrinkle, reduce

JLPTN1StatusJōyō · grade 6FrequencyTop 1,000Strokes17

Readings

On'yomi

  • シュク

Kun'yomi

  • ちぢ.む
  • ちぢ.まる
  • ちぢ.める
  • ちぢ.れる
  • ちぢ.らす

Meaning

縮 centers on becoming smaller in size or extent: shrinking, contracting, or reducing. The ideas of shriveling and wrinkling are natural physical results of that same contraction.

Most common words using 縮

20 of 200
  • 縮小しゅくしょう
    N2

    reduction; curtailment; cut; cutback; scaling down; contraction; shrinkage

  • 短縮たんしゅく
    N1

    shortening; contraction; reduction; curtailment; abbreviation

  • 圧縮あっしゅく
    N2

    compression

  • 恐縮きょうしゅく
    N2

    feeling (much) obliged; being (very) grateful; being thankful

  • 濃縮のうしゅく
    N1

    concentration (e.g. of a solution); enrichment; condensation

  • 縮めるちぢめる
    N2

    to shorten; to reduce; to condense; to shrink

  • 縮むちぢむ
    N3

    to shrink; to contract; to diminish (in size)

  • 収縮しゅうしゅく

    contraction; shrinking; shrinkage; constriction; deflation

  • 凝縮ぎょうしゅく

    condensation (of ideas, emotions, etc.); concentration

  • 萎縮いしゅく

    withering; shrivelling; shrinking

  • 縮しゅく

    wearing armour (armor)

  • 伸縮しんしゅく

    expansion and contraction; elasticity; flexibility

  • 縮まるちぢまる
    N2

    to shorten; to narrow; to close; to shrink

  • 緊縮きんしゅく

    tightening; shrinkage; contraction; constriction

  • 縮みちぢみ
    N1

    shrinkage

  • 縮図しゅくず

    reduced drawing; miniature copy

  • 軍縮ぐんしゅく
    N1

    reduction of armaments; disarmament

  • 縮尺しゅくしゃく

    reduced scale; scaling down

  • 縮こまるちぢこまる

    to curl oneself up; to squeeze oneself in; to be huddled

  • 縮れちぢれ

    frizz; kink; crimp; curls (hair, noodles, leaves, etc.)

Explore all words using 縮 →

Study

Etymology

縮 combines 糸 (thread) with 宿, which likely contributes the sound シュク and the idea of pulling tight or gathering in. The thread radical suggests the action of drawing something together so it becomes smaller.

Meaning mnemonic

Thread 糸 is pulled tight around a lodging 宿, making the whole thing shrink and contract until it wrinkles.

Reading mnemonic

For シュク, imagine a shrunken shoe in the corner of the lodging: shoe -> シュク, and the thread pulls it even smaller.