Japanese symbol for “cower”
縮み上がる
ちぢみあがる
Romaji: chijimiagaru
to freeze (in fear, surprise, etc.); to cower; to flinch
In Japanese, cower is 縮み上がる, read ちぢみあがる (chijimiagaru).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- v5r, vi to freeze (in fear, surprise, etc.); to cower; to flinch
- v5r, vi to shrink up; to shrink; to shrivel up
Written forms: 縮み上がる、縮みあがる. Readings: ちぢみあがる.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “cower”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 蹲る | うずくまる uzukumaru | to crouch; to squat; to cower |
| いじける | いじける ijikeru | to grow timid; to cower; to shrink |
| 竦む | すくむ sukumu | to cower; to shrink in on oneself |
| 丸くなる | まるくなる marukunaru | to huddle; to cower; to be hunched |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 縮小 | しゅくしょう shukushou | reduction; curtailment; cut |
| 短縮 | たんしゅく tanshuku | shortening; contraction; reduction |
| 圧縮 | あっしゅく asshuku | compression |
| 濃縮 | のうしゅく noushuku | concentration (e.g. of a solution); enrichment; condensation |
| 萎縮 | いしゅく ishuku | withering; shrivelling; shrinking |
| 恐縮 | きょうしゅく kyoushuku | feeling (much) obliged; being (very) grateful; being thankful |
| 以上 | いじょう ijou | not less than ...; ... and over; ... and above |
| 売り上げ | うりあげ uriage | amount sold; sales; proceeds |
See also: Chinese symbol for “cower”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.