Meaning
The kanji 沈 means to sink, to submerge, or to go down. From there it extends into emotional territory: calmness, silence, and depression. A ship going under and a person sinking into grief share the same character — that dual range is central to how 沈 works in Japanese.
沈 is built from two components. The left side is 氵 (sanzui), the three-stroke water radical that signals any connection to water or liquid. The right side is 冘, an older element suggesting downward movement. The image arrives immediately: something pulled beneath the surface, vanishing from view. Structure and meaning align here more neatly than in most kanji.
Seven strokes total, 沈 is a Grade 8 character — introduced in Japanese junior high school. It sits at the N2 level of the JLPT and appears regularly in news articles, literature, and formal prose. The radical 氵 links it to 海 (sea), 泳 (swim), and 流 (flow), all sharing the same water root.
The figurative reach is where 沈 gets interesting. 沈着 describes someone who stays level-headed under pressure. 沈黙 — silence — carries the sense of words that have sunk away and gone quiet. Mastering 沈 opens up a cluster of vocabulary that turns up often in news, literature, and everyday speech.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
The on'yomi is チン (chin). It appears in most compound words (熟語, jukugo) and is far more common in formal writing than the native readings. It derives from the Middle Chinese pronunciation of the character.
- 沈黙 (chinmoku) — silence. The most common N2 word from this kanji. Covers deliberate silence and awkward pauses alike.
- 沈着 (chinchaku) — composure, presence of mind. Used for someone who stays calm and clear-headed in an emergency or under stress.
- 沈没 (chinbotsu) — sinking of a ship or vessel. Standard in news reports and historical accounts.
- 沈殿 (chinden) — sedimentation, precipitation. A technical term in chemistry and geology for solid particles settling at the bottom of a liquid.
- 沈下 (chinka) — ground subsidence. Used in civil engineering and geology when land gradually sinks over time.
- 沈痛 (chintsuu) — deep grief, anguish. Describes a sorrowful atmosphere or expression; common in formal and literary writing.
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
The kun'yomi readings are しず・む (shizumu) and しず・める (shizumeru) — native Japanese verbs. Shizumu is intransitive: the subject sinks on its own. Shizumeru is transitive: someone or something causes the sinking.
- 沈む (shizumu) — to sink, to go under, to set (of the sun). The subject does the sinking: a boat goes down, the sun drops below the horizon, a mood falls.
- 日が沈む (hi ga shizumu) — the sun sets. A poetic, commonly used expression.
- 沈める (shizumeru) — to sink something, to submerge. Also used figuratively for suppressing or calming feelings.
- 気を沈める (ki wo shizumeru) — to calm one's feelings, to settle one's mind.
- 浮き沈み (ukishizumi) — ups and downs, the vicissitudes of life. Combines 浮く (to float) with 沈む (to sink) to capture fortune's swings.
Common Words & Compounds
沈 shows up across a broad range of vocabulary — from daily conversation to formal writing and scientific terminology. Here they are by theme.
Physical / Literal Sinking:
- 沈没 (chinbotsu) — sinking of a ship or large object
- 沈下 (chinka) — land subsidence, gradual sinking of ground
- 沈殿 (chinden) — sedimentation, sediment settling
- 沈む (shizumu) — to sink, to submerge (intransitive verb)
- 沈める (shizumeru) — to sink something (transitive verb)
Emotional / Psychological:
- 沈黙 (chinmoku) — silence, holding one's tongue
- 沈痛 (chintsuu) — deep grief, sorrowful atmosphere
- 沈鬱 (chin'utsu) — melancholy, gloominess
- 沈思 (chinshi) — deep thought, contemplation
Character / Composure:
- 沈着 (chinchaku) — composure, equanimity
- 沈静 (chinsei) — calm, tranquility; also a verb meaning to calm down
- 冷静沈着 (reisei chinchaku) — cool-headed and composed; a fixed phrase for ideal behavior under pressure
Nature / Daily Use:
- 日が沈む (hi ga shizumu) — the sun sinking below the horizon
- 浮き沈み (ukishizumi) — life's ups and downs
- 沈丁花 (jinchōge) — daphne flower (winter daphne), named for its scent resembling aloeswood (沈香, じんこう)
Example Sentences
船が嵐で沈んだ。
Fune ga arashi de shizunda.
The ship sank in the storm.
太陽が水平線に沈んでいく。
Taiyō ga suiheisen ni shizunde iku.
The sun is sinking below the horizon.
彼は沈黙を守り、何も言わなかった。
Kare wa chinmoku wo mamori, nani mo iwanakatta.
He maintained his silence and said nothing.
消防士は冷静沈着に行動した。
Shōbōshi wa reisei chinchaku ni kōdō shita.
The firefighter acted with complete composure.
悲しいニュースを聞いて、気分が沈んだ。
Kanashii nyūsu wo kiite, kibun ga shizunda.
Hearing the sad news, my mood fell.
石を水の中に沈めてみた。
Ishi wo mizu no naka ni shizumete mita.
I tried sinking the stone in the water.
彼女は沈痛な表情で報告を読み上げた。
Kanojo wa chintsuu na hyōjō de hōkoku wo yomiageta.
She read out the report with an expression of deep sorrow.
人生には浮き沈みがつきものだ。
Jinsei ni wa ukishizumi ga tsukimonoda.
Ups and downs are an inevitable part of life.
地盤沈下によって、建物が傾いた。
Jiban chinka ni yotte, tatemono ga katamuita.
Due to ground subsidence, the building tilted.
深い沈思のあと、彼はようやく答えた。
Fukai chinshi no ato, kare wa yōyaku kotaeta.
After long contemplation, he finally answered.
Memory Tip
Picture a small boat (冘) with three streams of water (氵) rushing in from the left — it's taking on water and slowly going down. When something sinks, it goes quiet. It disappears from view, just as 沈黙 (silence) is words that have "sunk" away and vanished.
Vietnamese learners have a shortcut: the Hán-Việt reading TRẦM already lives in everyday words — trầm lặng (quiet, reserved) and trầm tư (pensive, deep in thought). Both capture the emotional depth of this kanji exactly. 沈 = TRẦM is one of those connections that sticks immediately.