うずくまる・蹲る・踞るuzukumaru[4]nakadaka (mid-high)

1. godan verb, intransitive verbto crouch; to squat; to cower
   彼かれはうずくまって泣なき続つづけた。↗

   He crouched and went on crying.

• SynonymしゃがむCasualThe everyday spoken word for squatting: you bend your knees and lower yourself. 「蹲る」 stresses hunching the whole body into a tight ball.
• Synonymかがみ込むかがみこむNeutralLeans forward and over toward something, as in 「地面にかがみ込む」; the body bends but need not curl into a ball the way 「蹲る」 does.
• SynonymかがむNeutralBends the knees or waist to lower the body; the point is a lower posture, not curling up. 「蹲る」 means crouching with the whole body curled into a ball.
• SynonymしゃがみこむCasualColloquial: squat down and stay in that position, often from exhaustion or dejection. 「蹲る」 puts more emphasis on curling the body into a ball.
• Synonym蹲むつくなむWrittenWritten and archaic, rarely used: to sit low with the legs folded. 「蹲る」 is the ordinary word for crouching down.
• Related屈まるかがまるNeutralThe back bends or becomes stooped, as from age; it describes the body's shape rather than the act of crouching down.
• Antonym立つたつNeutralTo stand or rise to one's feet — the direct opposite of 「蹲る」, which has the body curled up low.
• Antonym伸びるのびるNeutralTo stretch out: the body straightens and extends, the opposite of 「蹲る」's curling into a ball.

Use 「蹲る」 for crouching with the whole body curled into a ball, often from pain or cold, as in 「腹を押さえてうずくまる」; it also covers animals crouching low. For simply squatting, 「しゃがむ」 is the everyday word; for bending over, use 「屈む」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 体たい全体ぜんたいを丸まるくしてしゃがむ。
2. 獣けものなどが後足あとあしを畳たたんで低ひくい姿勢しせいをとる。