How to Write 缩 (suō) — Meaning “To shrink; to contract; to shorten”

Imagine a piece of silk (纟) that gets smaller when you leave it overnight in a lodging (宿). The silk "shrink" happens because it stays (宿) in one place, like fabric contracting. Picture a silk scarf that is too big, so you have to "shrink" it by leaving it in a hotel room (宿).

Write the left side 纟 first, with three horizontal strokes and a vertical hook. Then write the right side 宿: start with the roof 宀, then the person 亻, and finally 百 (but note the bottom part of 宿 is actually 百 with a horizontal stroke across the middle). A common mistake is making the bottom of 宿 too wide; keep it narrow so the whole character stays balanced. Also, the silk radical should be slightly taller than the right side.

缩 has the phonetic 宿 and means to shrink or contract, while 缂 (kè) means a type of silk tapestry, with 革 (leather) on the right. 缃 (xiāng) refers to a light yellow color of silk; it has 相 (xiāng) on the right. Visually, 缂 and 缃 are less common; 缩 is the only one used for actions like reducing size or length.

缩 appears in everyday words like 缩小 (to reduce size) and 缩短 (to shorten a distance or time). It is also used for clothes shrinking (缩水) after washing, which is a common experience. Culturally, the phrase 缩头乌龟 (suō tóu wū guī, "shrunken-head turtle") describes a cowardly person who avoids responsibility.

Common words containing 缩 include: 缩小 (suō xiǎo) — To reduce; to shrink; to narrow; 缩短 (suō duǎn) — To shorten; to curtail; 缩水 (suō shuǐ) — To shrink (after washing); to decrease in value.