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ちりめんじわ Japanese meaning | Kotomora

ちりめんじわ

ち

り

め

ん

じ

わ

Meanings

1

noun

fine wrinkles; crepe-like wrinkles

usually written using kana alone

Describes very fine, delicate wrinkles resembling the texture of crepe fabric (縮緬). Often used for skin, paper, or thin materials.

年としをとると、目めのまわりにちりめんじわができやすくなる。
As you age, fine wrinkles tend to appear around the eyes.
この和わ紙しはちりめんじわが美うつくしい

Written forms

ちりめんジワ
kana-only spelling
Katakana variant sometimes used for emphasis or stylistic effect.
縮ちり緬めん皺じわ
Kanji spelling using 縮緬 (crepe) and 皺 (wrinkles). Rarely used in practice; the kana form is strongly preferred.
ちりめん皺じわ
Mixed kanji-kana spelling. Uncommon; the fully kana form is standard.

Kanji

皺wrinkles, creases, folds
縮

。

This Japanese paper has beautiful fine wrinkles.

shrink, contract, shrivel

緬fine thread, Burma

Similar words

しわ
しわ is the general word for wrinkles of any size. ちりめんじわ specifically refers to very fine, crepe-like wrinkles.
小こじわ
小じわ also means fine wrinkles, but ちりめんじわ emphasizes a texture similar to crepe fabric, often implying a delicate, crinkled pattern.

Etymology

Compound of 縮緬 (chirimen, 'crepe fabric') and 皺 (shiwa, 'wrinkles'), with rendaku voicing shiwa → jiwa. The word likens fine wrinkles to the crinkled texture of crepe.