滴しずく

し

ず

く

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

noun

drop; drip

A small amount of liquid, typically forming a rounded shape. Used for water, rain, tears, etc.

葉はっぱの上うえに朝あさ露つゆの滴しずくが光ひかっ

て

い

た

。

Drops of morning dew glistened on the leaf.

水すい道どうの蛇じゃ口ぐちから滴しずくが落おちている。

A drip is falling from the faucet.

Usage patterns

〈物もの〉の滴しずくが垂たれるdrops of ~ drip down
汗あせの滴しずくが額ひたいから垂たれた。
Drops of sweat dripped from his forehead.
滴しずくがしたたるdrops trickle/drip
雨あめの滴しずくが窓まどを伝つたってしたたる。
Drops of rain trickle down the window.
一いっ滴てきも〈動どう詞し〉ないnot even a single drop of ~
水みずを一いっ滴てきも残のこさず飲のんだ。
He drank the water without leaving a single drop.

Kanji

滴drip, drop
雫drop, trickle, dripping

Related words

水すい滴てきN2
水滴 is a more technical or formal term specifically for a drop of water, while 滴 is the everyday word for a drop of any liquid, such as tears or rain.
水みず玉たまN3
雫 emphasizes a drop trickling or dripping (as from a leaf or faucet), while 水玉 pictures a rounded bead of water sitting on a surface.
粒つぶN2
滴 refers specifically to a drop of liquid, whereas 粒 more broadly covers small round particles like grains, seeds, or drops.

Counted with

滴てき
When counting drops of liquid, 滴 itself is used as the counter (一滴, 二滴), so 滴 as a noun and 滴 as a counter share the same kanji but different readings.

Written forms

滴しずくUsage24%
Standard kanji spelling; high priority.
しずくUsage39%
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing.
雫しずくUsage37%
Alternative kanji, often used in literary or poetic contexts.

Etymology

The word is native Japanese. The kanji 滴 is a phono-semantic compound where 氵(water) suggests meaning and 啇 provides the sound, though the Japanese reading しずく is not directly derived from the Chinese pronunciation.