# 抑 — hold down; restrain

抑 means “hold down; restrain”. It is a JLPT N1 kanji written with 7 strokes. On'yomi: ヨク (yoku). Kun'yomi: おさ(える) (osaeru). You'll see it in words such as 抑える (osaeru, “to keep within limits; to restrain”).

- Meaning: hold down; restrain
- On'yomi: ヨク (yoku)
- Kun'yomi: おさ(える) (osaeru)
- Strokes: 7
- Level: JLPT N1 · set Hands at work 2

## How to remember 抑

Parts: 扌 hand · 卩 kneeling person

## Words with 抑

| Word | Reading | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 抑える | おさえる (osaeru) | to keep within limits; to restrain |

## More in the “Hands at work 2” set

[抑](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/hold-down/) · [繰](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/wind-thread/) · [懸](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/suspend/) · [棄](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/abandon/) · [揮](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/brandish/) · [獲](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/seize/) · [譲](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/yield/) · [握](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/grip/)

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From Moji Ninja (https://moji.ninja/), a free app for learning hiragana, katakana and the JLPT kanji from N5 to N1 with spaced repetition. Page: https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/hold-down/. Last updated 2026-11-01.