Japanese symbol for “maintain”
持つ
もつ
Romaji: motsu
to hold (in one's hand); to take; to carry
In Japanese, maintain is 持つ, read もつ (motsu).
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
- v5t, vt to hold (in one's hand); to take; to carry
- v5t, vt to possess; to have; to own
- v5t, vt to maintain; to keep
- v5t, vt to last; to be durable; to keep; to survive
- v5t, vt to take charge of; to be in charge of
- v5t, vt to hold (meeting, etc.); to have (opportunity, etc.)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “maintain”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 保つ | たもつ tamotsu | to keep; to preserve; to hold |
| 養う | やしなう yashinau | to support; to maintain; to provide for |
| 賄う | まかなう makanau | to supply (goods, money, etc.); to cover (costs); to pay |
| 構える | かまえる kamaeru | to set up (a house, store, etc.); to build; to establish |
| キープ | キープ kiipu | to keep (e.g. the lead); to maintain (a standard, situation, etc.) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 気持ち | きもち kimochi | feeling; sensation; mood |
| 維持 | いじ iji | maintenance; preservation; improvement |
| 支持 | しじ shiji | support; backing; endorsement |
| 持ち | もち mochi | having; holding; possessing |
| 金持ち | かねもち kanemochi | rich person; wealthy person |
See also: Chinese symbol for “maintain”.
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.