Japanese symbol for “owe”
負う
おう
Romaji: ou
to carry on one's back; to bear; to shoulder
In Japanese, owe is 負う, read おう (ou).
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
- v5u, vt to carry on one's back; to bear; to shoulder
- v5u, vt to take (responsibility); to assume; to accept; to bear (the blame, costs, etc.); to have (a duty, obligation, etc.); to become responsible for
- v5u, vt to suffer (an injury); to sustain (a wound); to receive; to incur (a loss, damage, etc.)
- v5u, vt to owe (a debt of gratitude to); to be indebted to
- v5u, vt to have (something) behind one; to be backed by
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 負け | まけ make | defeat; loss; losing (a game) |
| 負担 | ふたん futan | burden; load; responsibility |
| 勝負 | しょうぶ shoubu | victory or defeat |
| 負傷 | ふしょう fushou | injury; wound |
| 負債 | ふさい fusai | debt; liabilities |
See also: Chinese symbol for “owe”.
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.