Japanese symbol for “resist”
戦う
たたかう
Romaji: tatakau
to make war (on); to wage war (against); to go to war (with); to fight (with)
In Japanese, resist is 戦う, read たたかう (tatakau).
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, vi to make war (on); to wage war (against); to go to war (with); to fight (with); to do battle (against)
- v5u, vi to compete (against)
- v5u, vi to struggle (against adversities, etc.); to fight; to contend; to resist
Written forms: 戦う、闘う、斗う、戰う. Readings: たたかう.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “resist”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 耐える | たえる taeru | to support; to withstand; to resist |
| 抗する | こうする kousuru | to resist; to defy |
| 楯突く | たてつく tatetsuku | to defy; to disobey; to rebel against |
| 抗う | あらがう aragau | to go against; to fight against; to oppose |
| 手向かう | てむかう temukau | to resist (with force); to fight back; to oppose |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 戦争 | せんそう sensou | war |
| 戦い | たたかい tatakai | battle; war; fight |
| 作戦 | さくせん sakusen | tactics; strategy |
| 戦闘 | せんとう sentou | battle; fight; combat |
| 挑戦 | ちょうせん chousen | challenge; defiance; dare |
| 戦後 | せんご sengo | postwar period; period after Second World War |
See also: Chinese symbol for “resist”.
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.