Meaning

Primary

To Struggle

Alternative

To Fight

Word Type

intransitive verb, godan verb

Explanation

Because the hiragana ends with an sound, you know this word is a verb. The kanji itself means struggle so the verb version is to struggle or to fight. This struggle is fairly figurative, too. It's more like "the struggle against terrorism" or "the fight against drugs." Not so much a fight with people, which would be 戦う.

Reading

たたかう
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

Your neighborhood is fighting a struggle against car theft. Sadly, your car was stolen. So, you say: "ta-ta, car (たたか). Ta-ta."

Context

Context Sentences

この子たちは、みんな病気と闘っているんです。

These kids are all fighting against their diseases.

Kanji Composition