肩(かた)をすくめる

Structure: 肩(かた) (shoulder) + を + すくめる (to draw in, to hunch). The verb すくめる is used almost only in this phrase and in 首(くび)をすくめる.

Gesture meaning: A shrug conveys one of:

• "I don't know"
• "It can't be helped" (仕方(しかた)がない)
• resignation or indifference
• deliberate non-commitment

Cultural note: Shrugging is a Western gesture more than a traditional Japanese one, but it is widely understood in Japan, especially among younger speakers and in international settings. A speaker who would shrug in English often says 「仕方(しかた)がない」 instead, or tilts the head.

Related gesture expressions

• 首(くび)をかしげる: to tilt one's head — puzzlement
• 手(て)を挙(あ)げる: to raise one's hand — volunteering, or surrender

OTHER 肩(かた) EXPRESSIONS:

• 肩(かた)を落(お)とす: to let one's shoulders drop — dejection
• 肩(かた)の力(ちから)を抜(ぬ)く: to relax, to stop straining