攻める
Meaning in Englishattack, assault, press forward
Animated kanji stroke order
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)