King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “pursue”

Romaji: ou
to chase; to run after; to pursue; to follow after

In Japanese, pursue is , read (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

  1. v5u, vt to chase; to run after; to pursue; to follow after
  2. v5u, vt to follow (a set order, a trend, etc.)
  3. v5u, vt to drive out; to get rid of; to oust; to expel
  4. v5u, vt to drive (e.g. a herd)
  5. v5u, vt to be pressed (e.g. for time)

Written forms: . Readings: .

Kanji and stroke order

chase, drive away, follow
on: ツイ
kun: お.う
9 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “pursue”

WordReadingMeaning
おいもとめる oimotomeruto pursue
おいかける oikakeruto chase; to run after; to pursue
おっかける okkakeruto chase; to run after; to pursue
とう touto blame (someone) for; to accuse of; to pursue (question of responsibility)
もとめる motomeruto seek; to search for; to look for

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
ついか tsuikaaddition; supplement; appending
ついほう tsuihouexile; banishment; eviction
ついきゅう tsuikyuuinvestigation (e.g. into someone's guilt); questioning; pressing
ついせき tsuisekichase; pursuit; tracking
ついきゅう tsuikyuupursuit (of a goal, ideal, etc.); search; chase

See also: Chinese symbol for “pursue”.

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.

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