Japanese symbol for “retrace”
辿る
たどる
Romaji: tadoru
to follow (a road, path, etc.); to trace
In Japanese, retrace is 辿る, read たどる (tadoru).
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
- v5r, vt to follow (a road, path, etc.); to trace
- v5r, vt to follow (a clue, scent, tracks, plot, etc.); to trace (a route, history, family tree, etc.); to retrace (e.g. one's memory); to search; to go over
- v5r, vt to head towards (of a situation); to go in the direction of; to take (a course); to pursue (a path); to meet (a fate)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “retrace”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 手繰る | たぐる taguru | to trace (history, threads of a story, etc.); to retrace (e.g. memories); to go over |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 辿々しい | たどたどしい tadotadoshii | faltering; tottering; halting |
| 元を辿る | もとをたどる motootadoru | to trace back to (the origins of something) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “retrace”.
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.