Kanji N1

縮: shrink, contract, shrivel

縮 is a JLPT N1 kanji meaning shrink, contract, shrivel, written with 17 strokes. It is read シュク (on) and ちぢむ, ちぢまる, ちぢめる (kun). Children in Japan learn it in grade 6. You will see it in 縮小 (しゅくしょう, reduction) and 短縮 (たんしゅく, shortening).

縮

Meanings

  • shrink
  • contract
  • shrivel
  • wrinkle
  • reduce
Strokes17
JLPT levelN1
School gradeGrade 6
Frequency#909 of 2,500

On reading · Kun reading

On reading
  • シュク

On'yomi: from Chinese, written in katakana. Used in compound words.

Kun reading
  • ちぢむ
  • ちぢまる
  • ちぢめる
  • ちぢれる
  • ちぢらす

Kun'yomi: native Japanese, in hiragana. The faint part is the okurigana, written in kana after the kanji.

Watch the stroke order

Every stroke in order, the live one in vermilion. Replay as often as you like.

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Now draw it

Trace each stroke in order. Wrong direction or wrong order gets flagged right away.

12345678910111213141516170 / 17

Your turn: draw stroke 1 of 17. Start at the dot.

Common words with 縮

The most useful words written with it, easiest first. Every other kanji in them opens its own page.

  • 縮小しゅくしょう

    reduction; curtailment; cut; cutback

    JLPT N2
  • 短縮たんしゅく

    shortening; contraction; reduction; curtailment

    JLPT N1
  • 圧縮あっしゅく

    compression

    JLPT N2
  • 恐縮きょうしゅく

    feeling (much) obliged; being (very) grateful

    JLPT N2
  • 縮めるちぢめる

    to shorten; to reduce; to condense; to shrink

    JLPT N2
  • 縮れるちぢれる

    to be wavy; to be curled; to be frizzled

    JLPT N2
  • 縮むちぢむ

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

    JLPT N2
  • 縮まるちぢまる

    to shorten; to narrow; to close; to shrink

    JLPT N1

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Stroke order from KanjiVG © Ulrich Apel, CC BY-SA 3.0. Readings, meanings and words from KANJIDIC2 and JMdict, names from JMnedict, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0, and Wikidata, CC0. JLPT lists after Jonathan Waller (tanos.co.uk), CC BY.