Japanese symbol for “shrinking”
萎縮
いしゅく
Romaji: ishuku
withering; shrivelling; shrinking
In Japanese, shrinking is 萎縮, read いしゅく (ishuku).
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
- n, vi, vs withering; shrivelling; shrinking
- n, vi, vs contraction; atrophy (med)
Written forms: 萎縮、委縮. Readings: いしゅく.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “shrinking”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 収縮 | しゅうしゅく shuushuku | contraction; shrinking; shrinkage |
| 畏縮 | いしゅく ishuku | wincing; cowering; shrinking |
| 右肩下がり | みぎかたさがり migikatasagari | decreasing (graph falling to the right); shrinking; declining |
| 矮小化 | わいしょうか waishouka | reduction (in size); shrinking; minimization |
| 右下がり | みぎさがり migisagari | decreasing (graph falling to the right); sloping to the right; shrinking |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 萎える | なえる naeru | to lose strength; to become weak; to disappear (of energy, drive, etc.) |
| 萎え | なえ nae | weakening; loss of strength |
| 萎む | しぼむ shibomu | to wither (of flowers, dreams, etc.); to wilt; to droop |
| 萎れる | しおれる shioreru | to wither; to wilt; to droop |
| 萎凋 | いちょう ichou | wilting; withering |
| 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 |
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.