King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “entrapment”

Romaji: kouyaku
strangulation; constriction; entrapment

In Japanese, entrapment is , read (kouyaku).

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

  1. n, vs strangulation; constriction; entrapment (med)

Kanji and stroke order

strangle, constrict, wring
on: コウ
kun: しぼ.る、し.める、し.まる
12 strokes · JLPT 1
command, dominate, prevent
on: ヤク、アク
kun: おさ.える
7 strokes

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
しぼり shiborishibori; tie-dye; tie-dyeing
しぼる shiboruto wring (towel, rag); to squeeze
しめる shimeruto strangle; to constrict
こうしゅけい koushukeideath by hanging; execution by hanging
こうさつ kousatsustrangling (to death); strangulation
しぼりこむ shiborikomuto squeeze; to wring out
やくさつ yakusatsustrangulation (with the hands or arms)
せっしやくわん sesshiyakuwanbeing enraged (indignant, impatient); gnashing the teeth and clenching the arms on the breast (in anger or regret)

See also: Chinese symbol for “entrapment”.

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.

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