# 退 — retreat; withdraw

退 means “retreat; withdraw”. It is a JLPT N3 kanji written with 9 strokes. On'yomi: タイ (tai). Kun'yomi: しりぞ(く) (shirizoku), の(く) (noku), ど(く) (doku). You'll see it in words such as 退く (shirizoku, “to step back; to move back”).

- Meaning: retreat; withdraw
- On'yomi: タイ (tai)
- Kun'yomi: しりぞ(く) (shirizoku), の(く) (noku), ど(く) (doku)
- Strokes: 9
- Level: JLPT N3 · set Moving 2

## How to remember 退

Stubborn (艮) as you are, the road (辶) leads back: retreat.

Parts: 艮 stubborn · 辶 road

## Words with 退

| Word | Reading | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 退く | しりぞく (shirizoku) | to step back; to move back |

## More in the “Moving 2” set

[退](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/retreat/) · [渡](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/cross/) · [移](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/shift/) · [登](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/climb/) · [返](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/give-back/) · [泳](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/swim/)

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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/n3-kanji/retreat/. Last updated 2026-11-01.