move, motion, change
On'yomi (音読み)
- ドウ
Kun'yomi (訓読み)
- うご.く
- うご.かす
About this kanji
The kanji 動 primarily means "move" or "motion." It's commonly used as both a verb and in compound words. For example, 動く (うごく) means "to move," while 動かす (うごかす) means "to move something" or "to operate." Another common compound is 運動 (うんどう), which translates to "exercise." Additionally, 動物 (どうぶつ) means "animal," indicating creatures that move. A useful note is that 動 can be used in various contexts, referring to physical movement or even changes in situation or behavior, making it a versatile kanji in everyday Japanese.
Built from
Example sentences
犬が動いています。
The dog is moving.
Meanings across languages
- English
- move, motion, change
- Tiếng Việt
- di chuyển, hành động, chuyển động
- 日本語
- 動く, 行動
- 한국어
- 움직임, 움직임, 변화
- 中文
- 移动, 运动, 变化
- id
- gerakan, gerakan, perubahan
- th
- การเคลื่อนไหว, การเคลื่อนไหว, การเปลี่ยนแปลง
- es
- movimiento, movimiento, cambio
- fr
- mouvement, motion, changement
- de
- Bewegung, Bewegung, Änderung
- pt
- movimento, movimento, mudança
Common compounds
- 動くうごくto move
- 運動うんどうexercise, motion
- 動物どうぶつanimal
- 動かすうごかすto move something
Want to actually learn this kanji?
The dictionary is one view. The Kanji 360 app wraps every character with mnemonic images, audio readings, stroke-order animation, story context, and SRS scheduling — free to start on iPhone, iPad, and Android.