shrink, contract, shrivel, wrinkle

About this kanji

The kanji 縮, read as "shuku" in on'yomi and "chijiru" in kun'yomi, primarily means to shrink or contract. It is often used in both verbs and nouns. For example, in the compound 軍縮 (gunshuku), it refers to the reduction of armaments, while 縮小 (shukushou) simply means reduction. Another common compound is 短縮 (tanshuku), which means shortening. You might also encounter the term 恐縮 (kyoushuku), expressing a sense of obligation or feeling much obliged. This kanji is useful because it describes processes of reduction or compression in various contexts, from physical objects to ideas.

Example sentences

• 服が洗って縮んでしまった。

  The clothes shrank after washing.

Meanings across languages

English

shrink, contract, shrivel, wrinkle, reduce

Tiếng Việt

co lại, hợp đồng, nhăn lại, giảm

日本語

縮む, 契約する, しわが寄る, 減少する

한국어

줄어들다, 계약하다, 주름지다, 감소하다

中文

收缩, 合同, 皱缩, 减少

id

menyusut

th

หดตัว

es

encoger

fr

rétrécir

de

schrumpfen

pt

encolher

Common compounds

• 軍縮ぐんしゅくreduction of armaments, disarmament
• 縮小しゅくしょうreduction, curtailment, cut
• 短縮たんしゅくshortening, contraction, reduction
• 圧縮あっしゅくcompression, condensing, shortening
• 恐縮きょうしゅくfeeling (much) obliged, being (very) grateful, being thankful
• 凝縮ぎょうしゅくcondensation (of ideas, emotions, etc.), concentration, condensation (of a vapour or gas)
• 緊縮きんしゅくtightening, shrinkage, contraction
• 収縮しゅうしゅくcontraction, shrinking, shrinkage

Words using this kanji