Japanese symbol for “pat”

叩く

たたく

Romaji: tataku

to strike; to hit; to beat; to knock

In Japanese, pat is 叩く, read たたく (tataku).

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

v5k, vt to strike; to hit; to beat; to knock; to pound; to bang
v5k, vt to attack; to bash; to criticize; to censure; to flame (on the Internet)
v5k, vt to sound out (someone's views)
v5k, vt to pound (meat or fish); to chop into small pieces
v5k, vt to beat down the price
v5k, vt to talk (big, bad, idly, etc.)

Written forms: 叩く、敲く. Readings: たたく.

Kanji and stroke order

叩

strike, beat, kow tow

on: コウ
kun: たた.く、はた.く、すぎ

5 strokes

Other Japanese words for “pat”

Word	Reading	Meaning
ポン	ポン pon	pat; tap; clap
パット	パット patto	pat; patting
撫でる	なでる naderu	to stroke; to caress; to brush gently
撫で回す	なでまわす nademawasu	to pat (e.g. a dog); to rub; to stroke
摩る	さする sasuru	to rub; to pat; to stroke

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
叩き	たたき tataki	finely chopped fish or meat (sometimes seared first); mince
叩き込む	たたきこむ tatakikomu	to drive into (e.g. a nail into a board); to hit into (e.g. a home run into the stands)
袋叩き	ふくろだたき fukurodataki	beating someone up by ganging up on them