What is the meaning and reading of the kanji "退"?

The kanji "退" belongs to JLPT N2 and means "Retreat, Retire, Withdraw". Its Onyomi is "タイ (tai)" and Kunyomi is "しりぞく (shirizoku), しりぞける (shirizokeru)".

JLPT N2

退

Retreat, Retire, Withdraw

Q: Is there a memory mnemonic for "退"?

Yes! Radical breakdown: "辶 (road, walk, movement) + 艮 (stop, limit, back)". Mnemonic Story: "As you walk along a **ROAD** (辶), you hit a **STOP** (艮) sign, forcing you to turn back. You must *retreat* from the path, *withdraw* your forces, and *retire* from the mission. The boundary tells you, 'No further! Turn back now!'"

Onyomi

タイ (tai)

Kunyomi

しりぞく (shirizoku), しりぞける (shirizokeru)

🧠 Memory Mnemonic

🔍 Radical Breakdown

辶 (road, walk, movement) + 艮 (stop, limit, back)

📖 Mnemonic Story

As you walk along a **ROAD** (辶), you hit a **STOP** (艮) sign, forcing you to turn back. You must *retreat* from the path, *withdraw* your forces, and *retire* from the mission. The boundary tells you, 'No further! Turn back now!'

💡 Quick Hint: Road to stop

Essential N2 Vocabulary

退職

たいしょく

Retirement (from a job)

引退

いんたい

Retirement (from public life/career)

後退

こうたい

Retreat, Regression

Kanji Practice Quiz

Verify your memory for "退"

彼は来月会社を＿＿＿＿＿する。

🎉 正解 / Correct!

解説: 退職は「たいしょく」と読みます。
English: Retirement is read as 'taishoku'.

🦅

Want to master all JLPT N2 Kanji?

Project Eagle offers thousands of gamified, AI-powered JLPT practice problems completely for free. Master Kanji, grammar, and listening with adaptive spacing!

Recommended Cross-Study

Vocab Lesson 貢献 View Lesson ➔ Grammar Lesson 〜を問わず View Lesson ➔ Practice Quiz 精一杯 View Lesson ➔