Japanese symbol for “persecute”
虐げる
しいたげる
Romaji: shiitageru
to oppress; to persecute; to tyrannize
In Japanese, persecute is 虐げる, read しいたげる (shiitageru).
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, vt to oppress; to persecute; to tyrannize
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “persecute”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 苛める | いじめる ijimeru | to ill-treat; to bully; to torment |
| 責める | せめる semeru | to torture; to torment; to persecute |
| 責め苛む | せめさいなむ semesainamu | to torture; to persecute; to excruciate |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 虐殺 | ぎゃくさつ gyakusatsu | slaughter; massacre |
| 虐待 | ぎゃくたい gyakutai | abuse; ill-treatment; maltreatment |
| 残虐 | ざんぎゃく zangyaku | cruel; brutal; savage |
| 虐め | いじめ ijime | bullying; teasing |
| 暴虐 | ぼうぎゃく bougyaku | tyranny; atrocity |
| 自虐 | じぎゃく jigyaku | self-torture; masochism; inflicting damage to oneself |
See also: Chinese symbol for “persecute”.
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.