Japanese symbol for “shrug”
竦める
すくめる
Romaji: sukumeru
to shrug (shoulders); to duck (head); to draw back (body)
In Japanese, shrug is 竦める, read すくめる (sukumeru).
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
- v1, vt to shrug (shoulders); to duck (head); to draw back (body)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “shrug”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ボレロ | ボレロ borero | bolero; shrug |
| 窄める | すぼめる subomeru | to make narrower; to shut (an umbrella); to shrug (one's shoulders) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 竦む | すくむ sukumu | to freeze (from fear, etc.); to be unable to move (e.g. from surprise); to be paralyzed (with horror, etc.) |
| 竦林檎貝 | すくみりんごがい sukumiringogai | channeled apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata); golden apple snail |
| 居竦まる | いすくまる isukumaru | to be unable to move while seated (because of fear, surprise, etc.) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “shrug”.
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.