Onyomi: ドウ · Kunyomi: うご.かす, うご.く · Meanings: change, confusion, motion, move, shake, shift
Kanji for change, confusion, motion, move, shake
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Find visually similar kanji, commonly confused characters, related meanings, and useful words connected to 動.
The kanji 動 combines the “power/strength” radical (力) with the component for “move” (重), symbolizing exerting force to create movement. In ancient times, it represented moving objects, action, or physical effort. 動 came to mean move, motion, or act, capturing energy, change, and activity.
Strength applied to something — 動 means to move, take action, or be in motion.
Imagine pushing or lifting something to set it in motion — that’s 動, the kanji for movement and action.
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Meta |
|---|---|---|---|
| 動 | どう | motion | common Noun |
| 動物 | どうぶつ | animal | common JLPT-N5 Noun |
| 動物園 | どうぶつえん | zoo, zoological gardens | common JLPT-N4 Noun |
| 動詞 | どうし | verb | common JLPT-N3 Noun |
| 動機 | どうき | motive, incentive | common JLPT-N1 Noun |
| 動力 | どうりょく | power, motive power | common JLPT-N1 Noun |
| 動く | うごく | to move, to stir, to shift, to shake, to swing | common JLPT-N4 Godan verb with 'ku' ending, Intransitive verb |
| 動かす | うごかす | to move, to shift, to stir, to budge, to change position | common JLPT-N3 Godan verb with 'su' ending, Transitive verb |
| 動作 | どうさ | movement (of the body), action, motion, gesture | common JLPT-N2 Noun |
| 動き | うごき | movement, move, motion | common JLPT-N1 Noun |