Japanese symbol for “incur”
買う
かう
Romaji: kau
to buy; to purchase
In Japanese, incur is 買う, read かう (kau).
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
- v5u, vt to buy; to purchase
- v5u, vt to value (highly); to think highly of; to have a high opinion of; to appreciate; to recognize
- v5u, vt to incur (someone's anger, displeasure, etc.); to elicit (e.g. sneers); to invite (e.g. scorn); to evoke; to arouse; to win (someone's favour)
- v5u, vt to accept; to take on; to take up
- v5u, vt to pay for (a prostitute, geisha, etc.)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “incur”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 受ける | うける ukeru | to sustain (damage); to incur (a loss); to suffer (an injury) |
| 負う | おう ou | to suffer (an injury); to sustain (a wound); to receive |
| 招く | まねく maneku | to bring on oneself; to cause; to incur |
| 拵える | こしらえる koshiraeru | to raise money (for); to gather (a sum); to save up |
| 拵える | こさえる kosaeru | to raise money (for); to gather (money); to save up |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 買取 | かいとり kaitori | purchase; buying; buying out |
| 買い物 | かいもの kaimono | shopping; purchased goods |
| 買収 | ばいしゅう baishuu | acquisition (esp. corporate); buy-out; takeover |
| 売買 | ばいばい baibai | trade; buying and selling; trafficking (e.g. of humans, arms, drugs) |
| 買い | かい kai | buying; shopping |
See also: Chinese symbol for “incur”.
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.