遡る

• Reading: さかのぼる
• Romaji: sakanoboru
• Kanji breakdown: 遡 (so/sakanoboru) — go upstream, trace back to the source
• Pronunciation: /sa.ka.no.bo.ɾɯ/

Meaning

To go back; to trace back; to date back to. Describes movement or tracing against the flow of time or a current.

A Group 1 (godan) verb whose kanji depicts travelling upstream against a river's current. Used both literally (to go upstream) and extensively in figurative contexts — tracing the origins of history, law, customs, or problems. The potential form 遡れる and the te-form 遡って are especially frequent in academic and journalistic writing.

Examples

1. この慣習の起源は平安時代にまで遡ることができる。 The origins of this custom can be traced back as far as the Heian period.
2. 問題の根本原因を遡って検証した結果、設計の欠陥が見つかった。 By tracing back to the root cause of the problem, a design flaw was discovered.
3. 彼女の家系は戦国時代にまで遡る由緒ある血筋だ。 Her family lineage dates back to the Warring States period — a bloodline of distinguished pedigree.

Usage Guide

Context: history, research, law, journalism

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Native Japanese (yamato kotoba) verb with the kanji 遡 depicting a fish or person moving upstream against a current. The 遡 character is a compound of 氵(water) and 朔 (beginning/first), reinforcing the sense of returning to origins.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Educated