Japanese symbol for “sobering”

身が引き締まる

みがひきしまる

Romaji: migahikishimaru

to become tense; to become serious; to become sober

In Japanese, sobering is 身が引き締まる, read みがひきしまる (migahikishimaru).

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

exp, v5r to become tense; to become serious; to become sober
adj-f, exp sobering; bracing

Written forms: 身が引き締まる、身が引締まる. Readings: みがひきしまる.

Kanji and stroke order

身

somebody, person, one's station in life

on: シン
kun: み

7 strokes · JLPT 2

引

pull, tug, jerk

on: イン
kun: ひ.く、ひ.ける

4 strokes · JLPT 3

締

tighten, tie, shut

on: テイ
kun: し.まる、し.まり、し.める、-し.め

15 strokes · JLPT 1

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
自身	じしん jishin	(one's) self; oneself; yourself
出身	しゅっしん shusshin	one's origin (e.g. city, country, parentage, school)
中身	なかみ nakami	contents; interior; filling
身長	しんちょう shinchou	height (of a person); stature
全身	ぜんしん zenshin	whole (body); full-length (e.g. portrait)
変身	へんしん henshin	metamorphosis; disguise; transformation
取引	とりひき torihiki	transactions; dealings; business
引退	いんたい intai	retirement
取締役	とりしまりやく torishimariyaku	company director; board member

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.