Japanese symbol for “grasp”
把握
はあく
Romaji: haaku
grasp (of the situation, meaning, etc.); understanding; control; hold
In Japanese, grasp is 把握, read はあく (haaku).
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
- n, vs, vt grasp (of the situation, meaning, etc.); understanding; control; hold; grip
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “grasp”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 分かる | わかる wakaru | to understand; to comprehend; to grasp |
| 握る | にぎる nigiru | to clasp; to grasp; to grip |
| 捉える | とらえる toraeru | to grasp (e.g. meaning); to perceive; to capture (e.g. features) |
| 握り | にぎり nigiri | grasping; gripping; grasp |
| 知る | しる shiru | to understand; to comprehend; to grasp |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 大雑把 | おおざっぱ oozappa | rough (estimate, summary, etc.); broad; general |
| 把持 | はじ haji | grasp; hold; grip |
| 把捉 | はそく hasoku | grasping (a meaning) |
| 一把 | いちわ ichiwa | bundle; bunch |
| 現状把握 | げんじょうはあく genjouhaaku | grasping the present situation; having an accurate grasp of the situation |
| 握手 | あくしゅ akushu | handshake |
| 握る | にぎる nigiru | to clasp; to grasp; to grip |
| 握り | にぎり nigiri | grasping; gripping; grasp |
See also: Chinese symbol for “grasp”.
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.