King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “oppose”

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

In Japanese, oppose 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 “oppose”

WordReadingMeaning
さからう sakarauto go against; to oppose; to disobey
たちむかう tachimukauto fight against; to oppose; to face
あらそう arasouto quarrel; to argue; to dispute
はむかう hamukauto strike back at; to bite back; to turn on
たてつく tatetsukuto defy; to disobey; to rebel against

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 “oppose”.

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.