退 means “retreat, withdraw”

たい · tai

Also: retire, resign

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

しりぞく, しりぞける, ひく, のく, のける

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

タイ

JLPT N3 · Taught in grade 6 · 9 strokes

The story

Picture someone backing away down the road (辶) under a hard stare (艮). 退 is the step back: 退院 is leaving hospital, and 引退 is retirement, which for a sumo wrestler ends with his topknot cut off.

Used in 退院 (taiin, leaving hospital), 引退 (intai, retirement), and 退屈 (taikutsu, boredom)

More from Coming & Going

• 路 road
• 込 crowded
• 途 way
• 留 stay
• 散 scatter
• 浮 float
• 戻 go back
• 越 cross over
• 到 arrive
• 連 take along
• 向 face
• 放 release

Learn 退 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.