Onyomi: オウ · Kunyomi: お.さえる, お.し-, お.す, お.っ-, おさ.える · Meanings: attach, check, do in spite of, press, push, seal, seize, shove, stop, subdue, weight
Kanji for attach, check, do in spite of, press, push
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押 is made from the hand radical 扌 on the left and the character 甲 on the right. In ancient writing, 甲 represented a hard shell or armor plate — something solid and firm. When paired with the hand radical, the image became “a hand pushing against something firm,” like pressing on a shield or pushing a sturdy object forward. Over time, this idea of applying force with the hand turned into the general meaning of “to push,” “to press,” or “to apply pressure.”
押 combines the hand (扌) with a firm, armor-like shape (甲), expressing the action of pushing or pressing something solid.
Imagine using your hand (扌) to press against something hard like armor (甲) — that firm push is the meaning of 押.
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Meta |
|---|---|---|---|
| 押入れ | おしいれ | closet (built into the wall, usu. with sliding doors), (built-in) wardrobe | common JLPT-N4 Noun |
| 押す | おす | to push, to thrust, to shove | common JLPT-N5 Godan verb with 'su' ending, Transitive verb |
| 押さえる | おさえる | to pin down, to hold down, to press down, to hold in place, to hold steady | common JLPT-N2 JLPT-N1 Ichidan verb, Transitive verb |
| 押し込む | おしこむ | to push into, to cram into, to stuff into, to crowd into | common JLPT-N1 Godan verb with 'mu' ending, Intransitive verb, Transitive verb |
| 押し寄せる | おしよせる | to advance on, to close in, to march on, to descend on (the enemy), to move towards, to surge forward (crowd, wave of nostalgia, wave, etc.), to rush for (the door), to inundate, to overwhelm, to push aside | JLPT-N1 Ichidan verb, Intransitive verb |
| 押収 | おうしゅう | seizure, confiscation | common Noun, Suru verb, Transitive verb, Noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no' |
| 押し入る | おしいる | to push in, to force into, to break in (e.g. into a house), to intrude | common Godan verb with 'ru' ending, Intransitive verb |
| 押し | おし | push, pushing | common Noun |
| 押し付ける | おしつける | to press against, to push against, to force against | common Ichidan verb, Transitive verb |
| 押し問答 | おしもんどう | arguing back and forth, bandying words, verbal tug-of-war | common Noun, Suru verb, Intransitive verb |
| 押し流す | おしながす | to wash away, to sweep away, to carry away | Godan verb with 'su' ending, Transitive verb |
| 横柄 | おうへい | arrogant, haughty, insolent | Na-adjective (keiyodoshi), Noun |
| 押し出す | おしだす | to crowd out, to push out, to squeeze out | Godan verb with 'su' ending, Transitive verb |
| 押しかける | おしかける | to go uninvited, to call on without an invitation, to barge in on, to gatecrash | Ichidan verb, Intransitive verb |
| 押し上げる | おしあげる | to boost, to force up, to push up | Ichidan verb, Transitive verb |