Japanese symbol for “outdo”
抜きん出る
ぬきんでる
Romaji: nukinderu
to surpass; to outdo; to excel; to be far better
In Japanese, outdo is 抜きん出る, read ぬきんでる (nukinderu).
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, vi to surpass; to outdo; to excel; to be far better; to stand out; to be outstanding
- v1, vi to tower above (the surrounding landscape)
Written forms: 抜きん出る、抜きんでる、抽んでる、擢んでる. Readings: ぬきんでる.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “outdo”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 凌ぐ | しのぐ shinogu | to surpass; to outdo; to excel |
| 右に出る | みぎにでる miginideru | to be superior (to); to surpass; to outdo |
| 上を行く | うえをいく ueoiku | to be better than; to be ahead of; to outdo |
| 抜き出る | ぬきでる nukideru | to surpass; to outdo; to excel |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 抜群 | ばつぐん batsugun | outstanding; excellent; exceptional |
| 抜き | ぬき nuki | leaving out; omitting; skipping |
| 選抜 | せんばつ senbatsu | selection; choice; picking out |
| 抜粋 | ばっすい bassui | extract; excerpt; selection |
| 抜け出す | ぬけだす nukedasu | to slip out; to sneak away; to break free |
| 海抜 | かいばつ kaibatsu | height above sea level |
| 出演 | しゅつえん shutsuen | appearance (in a film, play, TV show, etc.); performance |
| 出す | だす dasu | to take out; to get out |
See also: Chinese symbol for “outdo”.
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.