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討つ (うつ) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word JLPT N2 Freq. Frequency Top 20,000 Conjugation Meanings 1
godan verb (-tsu), transitive verb
attack ; destroy ; defeat ; conquer ; avenge
Used for military or personal acts of attacking, defeating, or avenging an enemy. Often implies a decisive or punitive action. The kanji 討つ is standard for this sense.
He swore to avenge his father.
Written forms 討う つ
Primary kanji for attacking, defeating, or avenging an enemy. High priority.
撃う つ
Also used for shooting or striking, but 討つ is more common for the 'attack/defeat' sense.
伐う つ
Rare variant; primarily seen in historical or literary contexts for cutting down or subduing.
Kanji 討 chastise, attack, defeat Similar words 攻せ める 攻める is a more general verb for 'to attack' or 'to invade', while 討つ often carries a nuance of punitive action or vengeance.
倒たお す 倒す means 'to knock down' or 'to defeat' in a broader sense, including non-military contexts. 討つ is more specific to subduing an enemy.
Etymology The kanji 討 is composed of 言 (word) and 寸 (measure), originally meaning 'to interrogate' or 'to investigate', which extended to 'to attack' or 'to subdue'. The verb うつ is native Japanese with the core meaning of striking, and the kanji 討つ specializes it for attacking enemies.
