Japanese symbol for “succumb”
負ける
まける
Romaji: makeru
to lose; to be defeated; to be beaten
In Japanese, succumb is 負ける, read まける (makeru).
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, vi to lose; to be defeated; to be beaten
- v1, vi to give in (to); to yield; to succumb; to give way; to surrender; to be overcome (with)
- v1, vi to be inferior (to); to be second (to); to be outdone (by)
- v1, vi to get a rash (from); to come out in a rash
- v1, vt to reduce the price; to give a discount; to throw in (something extra) for free
Written forms: 負ける、敗ける、敗北る. Readings: まける.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “succumb”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 誘惑に負ける | ゆうわくにまける yuuwakunimakeru | to yield to temptation; to succumb |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 負け | まけ make | defeat; loss; losing (a game) |
| 負担 | ふたん futan | burden; load; responsibility |
| 勝負 | しょうぶ shoubu | victory or defeat |
| 負傷 | ふしょう fushou | injury; wound |
| 負債 | ふさい fusai | debt; liabilities |
| 負う | おう ou | to carry on one's back; to bear; to shoulder |
See also: Chinese symbol for “succumb”.
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.