Japanese symbol for “overwhelm”
圧倒
あっとう
Romaji: attou
to overwhelm (e.g. an opponent); to overpower; to crush; to defeat completely
In Japanese, overwhelm is 圧倒, read あっとう (attou).
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 to overwhelm (e.g. an opponent); to overpower; to crush; to defeat completely
- n, vs, vt to overwhelm (someone with emotion); to move; to impress; to fill with emotion
- n, vs, vt to intimidate; to frighten; to threaten
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “overwhelm”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 押す | おす osu | to overwhelm; to overpower; to put (someone) under pressure |
| 飲む | のむ nomu | to make light of (someone); to think nothing of; to overwhelm |
| 押し寄せる | おしよせる oshiyoseru | to advance on; to close in; to march on |
| 圧巻 | あっかん akkan | to stun; to amaze; to impress |
| 打ちのめす | うちのめす uchinomesu | to deal a devastating blow (from which one cannot recover); to devastate (emotionally); to crush |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 圧力 | あつりょく atsuryoku | pressure |
| 気圧 | きあつ kiatsu | atmospheric pressure; air pressure |
| 圧縮 | あっしゅく asshuku | compression |
| 圧倒的 | あっとうてき attouteki | overwhelming |
| 血圧 | けつあつ ketsuatsu | blood pressure |
| 弾圧 | だんあつ dan'atsu | oppression; suppression; pressure |
| 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 “overwhelm”.
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.