Japanese symbol for “detain”
引き止める
ひきとめる
Romaji: hikitomeru
to detain; to check; to restrain; to stop
In Japanese, detain is 引き止める, read ひきとめる (hikitomeru).
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 detain; to check; to restrain; to stop
Written forms: 引き止める、引き留める、引きとめる、引止める. Readings: ひきとめる.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “detain”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 止める | とめる tomeru | to detain; to keep in custody |
| 留め置く | とめおく tomeoku | to detain; to keep; to lock up |
| 捕まえる | つかまえる tsukamaeru | to catch hold of (someone); to stop (e.g. a stranger in the street); to hail (a taxi, waiter, etc.) |
| 括る | くくる kukuru | to detain; to check; to restrain |
| 身柄を拘束する | みがらをこうそくする migaraokousokusuru | to detain; to take into custody |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 取引 | とりひき torihiki | transactions; dealings; business |
| 引退 | いんたい intai | retirement |
| 割引 | わりびき waribiki | discount; reduction; rebate |
| 引き続き | ひきつづき hikitsuzuki | continuously; continually; without a break |
| 引用 | いんよう in'you | quotation; citation; reference |
| 引っ越し | ひっこし hikkoshi | moving (dwelling, office, etc.); changing residence |
| 禁止 | きんし kinshi | prohibition; inhibition; ban |
| 停止 | ていし teishi | stoppage; coming to a stop; halt |
See also: Chinese symbol for “detain”.
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.