Japanese symbol for “manage”

取り締まる

とりしまる

Romaji: torishimaru

to manage; to control; to supervise; to oversee

In Japanese, manage is 取り締まる, read とりしまる (torishimaru).

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

v5r, vt to manage; to control; to supervise; to oversee; to command
v5r, vt to crack down on; to keep under strict control; to enforce; to regulate

Written forms: 取り締まる、取締る、取締まる. Readings: とりしまる.

Kanji and stroke order

取

take, fetch, take up

on: シュ
kun: と.る、と.り、と.り-、とり

8 strokes · JLPT 2

締

tighten, tie, shut

on: テイ
kun: し.まる、し.まり、し.める、-し.め

15 strokes · JLPT 1

Other Japanese words for “manage”

Word	Reading	Meaning
手がける	てがける tegakeru	to handle; to manage; to deal with
操る	あやつる ayatsuru	to operate (e.g. a machine); to handle; to manage
使う	つかう tsukau	to use (a person, animal, puppet, etc.); to employ; to handle
処する	しょする shosuru	to manage; to deal with; to cope with
動かす	うごかす ugokasu	to manage (e.g. funds)

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
取引	とりひき torihiki	transactions; dealings; business
買取	かいとり kaitori	purchase; buying; buying out
取得	しゅとく shutoku	obtaining (a qualification, right, object, etc.); acquisition (of land, property, etc.); gaining possession (of)
取る	とる toru	to take; to pick up; to grab
取材	しゅざい shuzai	gathering material (for an article, novel, etc.); collecting information; covering (an event, incident, etc.)
取締役	とりしまりやく torishimariyaku	company director; board member
締め切り	しめきり shimekiri	deadline; closing; cut-off
引き締め	ひきしめ hikishime	tightening

See also: Chinese symbol for “manage”.

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.