攻める
Meaning in Englishattack, assault, press forward
Animated kanji stroke order
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Word context
What it means
What does 攻める mean? It means to attack or to go on the offensive, initiating aggressive action toward a target, whether in combat, sport, debate, or strategic competition.
Main meanings
- physical attack or assault (semeru)
- to press an opponent or situation, initiating pressure in a confrontation (semeru)
- to advance with an offensive move in a game or sport (semeru)
- metaphorical attack: to criticize or assault a topic or idea in discussion (semeru)
How to use it
Used in both formal and informal register. Common patterns include 敵を攻める, 市場を攻める, 論戦で相手を攻める; can pair with compounds like 攻め込む to intensify the action; commonly used with を to mark the direct object and に to indicate the target or arena.
Variants and close terms
- 攻撃する (kougeki suru) — attack, direct action
- 仕掛ける (shikakeru) — to set upon or spring into action
- 襲う (osou) — to assault or raid
- 退く (shirizoku) — to retreat (antonym)
Composition
- 攻: attack, offense; the core semantic field of aggression
Etymology
Phonetic evolution The form combines the kanji 攻 meaning attack with the verb-ending -る; the kunyomi semeru is the standard modern reading.
Origin
From classical and medieval Japanese military and rhetorical usage, where attacking was described as advancing against a target; gradual extension to metaphorical contexts over time.
Word class
verb (godan, 五段動詞)