King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “quell”

Romaji: osaeru
to pin down; to hold down; to press down; to hold in place

In Japanese, quell is , read (osaeru).

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. v1, vt to pin down; to hold down; to press down; to hold in place; to hold steady
  2. v1, vt to cover (esp. a part of one's body with one's hand); to clutch (a body part in pain); to press (a body part)
  3. v1, vt to get a hold of; to obtain; to seize; to catch; to arrest
  4. v1, vt to grasp (a point); to comprehend
  5. v1, vt to reserve (time, space, or availability); to hold; to block off (a schedule); to secure; to pin down (a date)
  6. v1, vt to quell; to subdue; to suppress; to repress; to hold back; to check

Written forms: . Readings: .

Kanji and stroke order

push, stop, check
on: オウ
kun: お.す、お.し-、お.っ-、お.さえる
8 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “quell”

WordReadingMeaning
おさえる osaeruto hold back (e.g. an enemy); to check; to curb
しずめる shizumeruto suppress (a rebellion, riot, fire, etc.); to quell; to put down
おさめる osameruto subdue; to suppress; to quell
とりしずめる torishizumeruto quell; to quiet

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
おす osuto push; to thrust; to shove
おし oshipush; pushing
あとおし atooshipushing; support; backing
おしだし oshidashipushing something out; extrusion
おうしゅう oushuuseizure; confiscation

See also: Chinese symbol for “quell”.

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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