Onyomi: トウ · Kunyomi: -だお.れ, さかさ, さかさま, さかしま, たお.す, たお.れる · Meanings: break down, collapse, drop, fall, overthrow
Kanji for break down, collapse, drop, fall, overthrow
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倒 is built from the person radical 亻 on the left and the component 到 on the right. In ancient writing, 到 showed an action of reaching or arriving at a point — often with force or sudden impact. When combined with the person radical, the meaning became “a person who reaches the ground suddenly,” symbolizing falling, collapsing, or toppling over. Over time, this character expressed not just physical falling, but also the idea of something being knocked down or brought to an end.
倒 joins the person radical (亻) with 到, meaning to reach or strike a point, creating the idea of a person suddenly falling or being knocked over.
Picture a person (亻) suddenly reaching the ground (到) with a thud — that moment of toppling over is the meaning of 倒.
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Meta |
|---|---|---|---|
| 逆さま | さかさま | inverted, upside down, reversed, back to front, wrong way round | common JLPT-N2 Na-adjective (keiyodoshi), Noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', Noun |
| 逆しま | さかしま | reverse, inversion, upside down | common Noun, Na-adjective (keiyodoshi) |
| 逆 | さか | inverse, reverse | Noun, used as a prefix, Noun |
| 倒れる | たおれる | to fall (over, down), to collapse, to take a fall, to topple | common JLPT-N4 Ichidan verb, Intransitive verb |
| 倒産 | とうさん | (corporate) bankruptcy, insolvency, commercial failure, failed business | common JLPT-N1 Noun, Suru verb, Intransitive verb |
| 倒す | たおす | to throw down, to bring down, to blow down, to fell, to knock down, to set (something) down on its side, to turn (something) on its side, to recline (e.g. a seat) | common JLPT-N3 Godan verb with 'su' ending, Transitive verb |
| 逆さ | さかさ | inverted, upside down, reversed, back to front | common JLPT-N2 Noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', Na-adjective (keiyodoshi), Noun |
| 倒壊 | とうかい | destruction, collapse, crumbling | Noun, Suru verb, Intransitive verb |
| 倒錯 | とうさく | perversion | Noun, Suru verb |
| 倒置法 | とうちほう | inversion of the word order in a sentence, anastrophe | Noun |