Japanese symbol for “topple”
倒れる
たおれる
Romaji: taoreru
to fall (over, down); to collapse; to take a fall; to topple
In Japanese, topple is 倒れる, read たおれる (taoreru).
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 fall (over, down); to collapse; to take a fall; to topple
- v1, vi to be destroyed (in a collapse); to collapse; to cave in; to crumble; to give away
- v1, vi to be confined to bed (with an illness); to come down with; to break down (e.g. from overwork)
- v1, vi to die; to be killed
- v1, vi to go bankrupt (of a company, bank, etc.); to fail; to collapse; to go under
- v1, vi to be defeated (in a game); to lose
Written forms: 倒れる、斃れる、仆れる、殪れる. Readings: たおれる.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “topple”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 転ばす | ころばす korobasu | to knock down; to topple |
| 首を取る | くびをとる kubiotoru | to depose; to topple |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 面倒 | めんどう mendou | trouble; bother |
| 倒産 | とうさん tousan | (corporate) bankruptcy; insolvency; commercial failure |
| 圧倒的 | あっとうてき attouteki | overwhelming |
| 倒す | たおす taosu | to throw down; to bring down; to blow down |
| 圧倒 | あっとう attou | to overwhelm (e.g. an opponent); to overpower; to crush |
See also: Chinese symbol for “topple”.
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.