Japanese symbol for “oppress”
虐げる
しいたげる
Romaji: shiitageru
to oppress; to persecute; to tyrannize
In Japanese, oppress is 虐げる, read しいたげる (shiitageru).
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
- v1, vt to oppress; to persecute; to tyrannize
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “oppress”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 締め付ける | しめつける shimetsukeru | to control strictly; to put pressure on; to squeeze (e.g. an economy) |
| 圧する | あっする assuru | to oppress; to dominate; to overwhelm |
| 圧す | あっす assu | to oppress; to dominate; to overwhelm |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 虐殺 | ぎゃくさつ gyakusatsu | slaughter; massacre |
| 虐待 | ぎゃくたい gyakutai | abuse; ill-treatment; maltreatment |
| 残虐 | ざんぎゃく zangyaku | cruel; brutal; savage |
| 虐め | いじめ ijime | bullying; teasing |
| 暴虐 | ぼうぎゃく bougyaku | tyranny; atrocity |
| 自虐 | じぎゃく jigyaku | self-torture; masochism; inflicting damage to oneself |
See also: Chinese symbol for “oppress”.
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.