Japanese

まる

ちぢまる
Meaning: to shrink; to shorten; to narrow
Part of Speech: Verb

Listen to pronunciation

Show inflections Hide inflections

Verb inflections

Form Affirmative Negative
Present 縮まる 縮まらない
Polite 縮まります 縮まりません
Past 縮まった 縮まらなかった
Polite + Past 縮まりました 縮まりませんでした
Te-form 縮まって 縮まらなくて
Potential 縮まれる 縮まれない
Passive 縮まられる 縮まられない
Causative 縮まらせる 縮まらせない
Causative + Passive 縮まらされる 縮まらされない
Imperative 縮まれ 縮まるな

Handwriting

縮
ま
る

Example

Thanks to the effort, the gap with the leader has gradually narrowed.

Usage Notes

Often used for physical distances or time shrinking, but also for gaps in scores or differences.

Sottaku

About Sottaku

Sottaku is an app for learning Chinese, Japanese, Korean, English, Spanish, French, German, and Italian with a strong focus on SRS. It includes automatic flashcard creation for hundreds of thousands of words, grammar breakdowns in example sentences, language-specific study packs where available, adaptive quizzes, mobile apps, a browser extension, and community features. Give it a try now! All learning content is free with no limits on flashcards or study time.

Sottaku is built to match the habits of successful learners. By using Sottaku, you will naturally learn in the most efficient way possible, as proven by countless success stories in the language learning community.

Free Forever

Access all grammar guides, quizzes, and flashcards without paying a cent. Quality education should be accessible to everyone.

Smart SRS System

Our flashcard system uses the FSRS algorithm (also used in Anki) to optimize your review schedule and maximize retention.

Comprehensive Content

From hanzi, kana, hangul, and European vocabulary basics to grammar and reading practice where available, we have lessons for every level. Practice with quizzes tailored to your skill.

Community Chat

Ask level-appropriate questions and get help from the community. Learn together with fellow learners across all 8 supported languages.