urge, force, imminent, spur on

About this kanji

The kanji 迫 (ハク, せま.る) primarily means ‘to urge’ or ‘to approach’. It is often used as a verb in the form 迫る (せまる), which means ‘to approach’ or ‘to press on.’ You might also encounter it in nouns like 脅迫 (きょうはく), meaning ‘threat,’ and 迫力 (はくりょく), which refers to ‘impressiveness’ or ‘impact.’ Another common compound is 圧迫 (あっぱく), meaning ‘pressure.’ A useful note is that this kanji expresses a sense of urgency or a pushing force, so you may find it in contexts where someone or something is compelling action or creating a sense of immediacy.

Example sentences

• 締切が迫っているので急がなければならない。

  The deadline is approaching, so I must hurry.

Meanings across languages

English

urge, force, imminent, spur on

Tiếng Việt

thúc giục

日本語

迫る

한국어

迫하다

中文

迫近

id

desakan

th

เร่งรีบ

es

impulso

fr

urgence

de

drang

pt

pressão

Common compounds

• 脅迫きょうはくthreat, menace, coercion
• 迫るせまるto approach, to draw near, to be imminent
• 迫力はくりょくimpressiveness, impact, force
• 圧迫あっぱくpressure, oppression, suppression
• 気迫きはくspirit, soul, drive
• 緊迫きんぱくtension, strain
• 迫害はくがいpersecution, oppression
• 迫撃はくげきclose attack