Japanese symbol for “flee”
逃げる
にげる
Romaji: nigeru
to run away; to flee; to get away (e.g. from danger); to escape
In Japanese, flee is 逃げる, read にげる (nigeru).
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, vi to run away; to flee; to get away (e.g. from danger); to escape; to break out; to leave (e.g. one's spouse)
- v1, vi to avoid (a question, responsibility, etc.); to evade; to dodge; to shirk; to back away
- v1, vi to win without being overtaken; to hold off the other contenders (until the finish); to keep the lead (and win)
- v1, vi to escape (of heat, a gas, etc.); to leak out (e.g. of a scent); to be lost (e.g. of flavor)
- v1, vi to fail to hold an ideal posture
Written forms: 逃げる、遁げる、迯げる. Readings: にげる.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “flee”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 逃げ出す | にげだす nigedasu | to run away; to flee; to make off |
| 飛ぶ | とぶ tobu | to flee; to run off; to escape |
| 落ちる | おちる ochiru | to leave (a city, castle, etc.); to (be defeated and) flee |
| 走る | はしる hashiru | to retreat; to flee; to defect (to) |
| 逃げ走る | にげはしる nigehashiru | to flee; to run away |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 逃走 | とうそう tousou | flight; desertion; escape |
| 逃げ | にげ nige | escape; getaway; evasion |
| 逃れる | のがれる nogareru | to escape |
| 逃亡 | とうぼう toubou | escape; flight; running away |
| 逃避 | とうひ touhi | escape; evasion; flight |
See also: Chinese symbol for “flee”.
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.