慄 means “shudder, tremble”

りつ · ritsu

Also: fear

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

ふるえる, おそれる, おののく

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

リツ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 13 strokes

The story

A heart (忄) beside a chestnut (栗) in its spiky burr: picture a shiver running down your spine like needles. 慄 lives in 戦慄, a shudder of horror, as in a headline's 戦慄の事件, and 慄く is to tremble with fear.

Used in 戦慄 (senritsu, shudder/horror) and 慄く (ononoku, to tremble)

More from Fear & Shame

• 臆 timid
• 虞 risk
• 羞 shame
• 焦 fret
• 脅 threaten
• 辱 disgrace
• 慌 panic
• 惧 dread
• 嚇 menace
• 凄 tremendous
• 畏 awe

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