How to say 'Attack' in Japanese | 襲う

Wondering how to say 'Attack' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Attack is 'Osou', written as 襲う in Japanese.'Attack' in hiragana is おそう.

word

襲う

Meaning

Attack

Reading

おそう

osou

Kanji

襲Attack, Inherit

Explanation

The Japanese verb '襲う (おそう)' primarily means 'to attack'. This verb is used to describe a sudden and often violent action against someone or something. It can refer to physical attacks, such as an animal attacking a person, or more abstract forms of attack, like a sudden storm or a wave of emotions. For example: The bear attacked the hiker「熊がハイカーを襲った」(くまがハイカーをおそった). A sudden feeling of sadness attacked her「突然の悲しみが彼女を襲った」(とつぜんのかなしみがかのじょをおそった). The verb can also be used metaphorically to describe being overwhelmed by something, such as a wave of nostalgia or a sudden realization.

Part Of Speech

verb

Kanji JLPT

Kanji Grade

Frequency

2428

Composition

kanji-hiragana

Handwriting

This word is a godan verb. To learn how it transforms in different tenses and forms, explore all its conjugations.

Kanji in the Word 襲う

This word contains 1 kanji character:

kanji

襲

Meaning

Attack, Inherit

Hiragana in the Word 襲う

This word contains 1 Hiragana character :

hiragana

う

Reading

Learn the Word 襲う

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What does 'Osou' (襲う) mean?

'Osou' means 'Attack' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.