King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “obstruct”

Romaji: habamu
to keep someone from doing; to stop; to prevent; to check

In Japanese, obstruct is , read (habamu).

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

  1. v5m, vt to keep someone from doing; to stop; to prevent; to check; to hinder; to obstruct

Written forms: . Readings: .

Kanji and stroke order

thwart, separate from, prevent
on: ソ
kun: はば.む
8 strokes · JLPT 1

Other Japanese words for “obstruct”

WordReadingMeaning
さまたげる samatageruto disturb; to prevent; to obstruct
さえぎる saegiruto interrupt; to obstruct (a view, someone's way, etc.); to block (light, wind, etc.)
がいする gaisuruto hinder; to obstruct
つまらせる tsumaraseruto clog; to block; to choke up
たちはだかる tachihadakaruto stand in the way (e.g. of progress); to obstruct

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
そし soshiobstruction; prevention; hindrance
そがい sogaiobstruction; impediment; hindrance
つわり tsuwarimorning sickness; nausea and vomiting of pregnancy
そきゃく sokyakurejection

See also: Chinese symbol for “obstruct”.

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.

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