Japanese symbol for “complain”
訴える
うったえる
Romaji: uttaeru
to raise; to bring to (someone's attention)
In Japanese, complain is 訴える, read うったえる (uttaeru).
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
- v1, vt to raise; to bring to (someone's attention)
- v1, vt to appeal to (reason, emotions, etc.); to work on (one's emotions); to play on (one's sympathies)
- v1, vt to complain
- v1, vt to sue (a person); to take someone to court
- v1, vt to resort to (e.g. arms, violence)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “complain”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 鳴らす | ならす narasu | to state; to insist; to complain |
| 愚痴る | ぐちる guchiru | to grumble; to gripe; to complain |
| 物申す | ものもうす monomousu | to object; to protest; to complain |
| ぼやく | ぼやく boyaku | to grumble; to complain |
| 食いつく | くいつく kuitsuku | to complain; to bicker |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 訴訟 | そしょう soshou | lawsuit; suit; (legal) action |
| 訴え | うったえ uttae | lawsuit; complaint |
| 起訴 | きそ kiso | prosecution; indictment |
| 控訴 | こうそ kouso | appeal to a higher court; intermediate appeal |
| 告訴 | こくそ kokuso | accusation; complaint; charge |
See also: Chinese symbol for “complain”.
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.