Japanese symbol for “absorb”
奪う
うばう
Romaji: ubau
to take (by force); to take away; to snatch; to steal
In Japanese, absorb is 奪う, read うばう (ubau).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- v5u, vt to take (by force); to take away; to snatch; to steal; to rob (someone) of; to dispossess of
- v5u, vt to absorb (one's attention); to fascinate; to captivate; to charm; to dazzle
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “absorb”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 吸い込む | すいこむ suikomu | to inhale; to breathe in; to suck up |
| 吸う | すう suu | to absorb; to soak up |
| 消す | けす kesu | to drown out (a sound); to deaden; to absorb |
| 吸い上げる | すいあげる suiageru | to suck up; to pump up; to draw up |
| 吸い取る | すいとる suitoru | to suck up; to absorb; to squeeze (money) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 強奪 | ごうだつ goudatsu | robbery; pillage; seizure |
| 略奪 | りゃくだつ ryakudatsu | pillage; plunder; looting |
| 奪還 | だっかん dakkan | recapture; retaking; recovery |
| 争奪 | そうだつ soudatsu | struggle (for); scramble; contest |
| 奪取 | だっしゅ dasshu | usurpation; taking back; dispossession |
See also: Chinese symbol for “absorb”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.