抑: the kanji for suppress; hold down

抑 is a JLPT N1 kanji that means suppress; hold down. Below are its readings, 5 common words and example sentences, all with audio.

suppress; hold downMeaning

ヨクOn reading

おさえるKun reading

7Strokes

Stroke order

抑 is written in 7 strokes. The red stroke is the one to write next, and the dot shows where it starts.

Words by reading

抑 has 2 readings in the official Jōyō Kanji Table. Below are 5 common words grouped by reading. Tap ▶ to hear each word (audio plays with a free account).

ヨク (yoku)

On reading.

Word	Meaning
抑制よくせい · yokusei	restraint; control
抑圧よくあつ · yokuatsu	oppression
抑揚よくよう · yokuyō	intonation

おさえる (osaeru)

Kun reading.

Word	Meaning
抑えるおさえる · osaeru	to hold back; to suppress
抑えおさえ · osae	restraint; closer (baseball)

Example sentences for work and daily life

怒りを抑えて話した。Ikari o osaete hanashita.I spoke while holding back my anger.
出費を抑えるために自炊している。Shuppi o osaeru tame ni jisui shite iru.I cook for myself to keep expenses down.
この薬は症状を抑制する。Kono kusuri wa shōjō o yokusei suru.This medicine suppresses the symptoms.
抑揚をつけて音読しよう。Yokuyō o tsukete ondoku shiyō.Let's read aloud with intonation.
自由を抑圧する政治に反対する。Jiyū o yokuatsu suru seiji ni hantai suru.We oppose politics that suppresses freedom.

Questions about 抑

How many strokes does 抑 have?

抑 is written in 7 strokes. The stroke order is shown at the top of this page.

What are the readings of 抑?

The on readings are yoku (ヨク). The kun readings are osaeru (おさえる).

What JLPT level is 抑?

N1. The JLPT does not publish official kanji lists, so this level is a guide based on the official Test Content Specifications used through 2009.

About the JLPT level

The JLPT does not publish official lists of kanji for each level. The level on this page is a guide based on the official Test Content Specifications used for the test through 2009. The JLPT states that the current N1 is designed to match the former Level 1.