襲う

• 読み: おそう
• ローマ字: osou
• 漢字の分解: 襲 (shū/oso) — attack, assail, succeed to
• 発音: /o.so.ɯ/

意味

To attack; to assail; to strike. Used for physical attacks and for abstract forces like disasters or emotions.

A Group 1 (godan) transitive verb meaning to make a sudden, often violent attack. Used not only for physical assaults by people or animals but also for natural disasters, illnesses, and overwhelming emotions that strike someone. The passive form 襲われる (to be attacked by) is extremely common. Appears frequently in news and dramatic contexts.

例文

1. 山でクマに襲われる事故が増えている。
2. 突然激しい眠気が襲ってきた。
3. 大地震がその町を襲ったのは深夜だった。

使い方ガイド

場面: news, natural disasters, crime

トーン: alarming

起源と歴史

The kanji 襲 is complex, containing 龍 (dragon) at its base with 衣 (clothing) elements, originally meaning to layer clothing — which evolved to mean 'to come upon suddenly,' as one layer descends upon another.

文化的背景

時代: Classical

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal