King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “stiffen”

Romaji: hikishimeru
to tighten; to stiffen; to brace; to strain

In Japanese, stiffen is , read (hikishimeru).

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

  1. v1, vt to tighten; to stiffen; to brace; to strain

Written forms: . Readings: .

Kanji and stroke order

pull, tug, jerk
on: イン
kun: ひ.く、ひ.ける
4 strokes · JLPT 3
tighten, tie, shut
on: テイ
kun: し.まる、し.まり、し.める、-し.め
15 strokes · JLPT 1

Other Japanese words for “stiffen”

WordReadingMeaning
つっぱる tsupparuto cramp up; to tighten; to stiffen
しこる shikoruto stiffen; to harden
かまえる kamaeruto stiffen; to tense up; to become formal
こわばる kowabaruto stiffen; to become stiff; to harden
こらす korasuto stiffen; to become tense

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
とりひき torihikitransactions; dealings; business
いんたい intairetirement
わりびき waribikidiscount; reduction; rebate
ひきつづき hikitsuzukicontinuously; continually; without a break
いんよう in'youquotation; citation; reference
ひっこし hikkoshimoving (dwelling, office, etc.); changing residence
とりしまりやく torishimariyakucompany director; board member
しめきり shimekirideadline; closing; cut-off

See also: Chinese symbol for “stiffen”.

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.

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