Japanese symbol for “overthrow”
打倒
だとう
Romaji: datou
overthrow; defeat; bringing down; knockdown
In Japanese, overthrow is 打倒, read だとう (datou).
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
- n, vs, vt overthrow; defeat; bringing down; knockdown
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “overthrow”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 倒す | たおす taosu | to overthrow; to trip up; to ruin |
| 滅ぼす | ほろぼす horobosu | to destroy; to overthrow; to wreck |
| 転覆 | てんぷく tenpuku | overthrow (e.g. of a government) |
| 覆す | くつがえす kutsugaesu | to overthrow (government etc.) |
| 打ち壊す | うちこわす uchikowasu | to ruin (e.g. a plan); to wreck; to do away with (an old custom, ideology, etc.) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 打つ | うつ utsu | to hit; to strike; to knock |
| 打撃 | だげき dageki | blow; shock; strike |
| 打ち上げ | うちあげ uchiage | launch (of a rocket, satellite, etc.); lift-off; shooting off (fireworks) |
| 安打 | あんだ anda | safe hit |
| 打破 | だは daha | breaking down; defeating; abolishing |
| 打線 | だせん dasen | batting line-up; batting order |
| 面倒 | めんどう mendou | trouble; bother |
| 倒産 | とうさん tousan | (corporate) bankruptcy; insolvency; commercial failure |
See also: Chinese symbol for “overthrow”.
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.