動 – Kanji Meaning, Reading, and Common Words

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What does 動 mean in Japanese?

動 means movement or motion. The two kun’yomi — 動く (ugoku, intransitive: something moves) and 動かす (ugokasu, transitive: to move something) — are a clean intransitive/transitive pair, one of the clearest examples of this grammatical pattern at N4.

動 appears in high-frequency compound words that go well beyond physical movement: 動物 (doubutsu, animal), 感動 (kandou, being deeply moved / moved to tears), 自動 (jidou, automatic), 運動 (undou, exercise / movement / campaign). The range of this kanji across everyday vocabulary makes it one of the most productive N4 kanji to learn.

Reading

On’yomi: ドウ (dou)

Kun’yomi: うご-く (ugo-ku), うご-かす (ugo-kasu)

Basic Information

Kanji 動
Meaning move, motion
Stroke Count 11
JLPT Level N4

How to Understand This Kanji

動く (intransitive): the subject moves on its own — 机が動く (the desk moves), 電車が動いている (the train is moving). 動かす (transitive): someone moves an object — 机を動かす (move the desk), 人の心を動かす (move someone’s heart). This intransitive/transitive pair follows the same -く/-かす pattern as 乗る/乗せる and 泊まる/泊める covered earlier in this batch. 感動 (kandou) describes being deeply moved emotionally — tears, awe, profound appreciation — rather than physical motion.

Common Words

  • 動く（うごく / ugoku） — to move (intransitive)
  • 動かす（うごかす / ugokasu） — to move something (transitive)
  • 動物（どうぶつ / doubutsu） — animal
  • 感動（かんどう / kandou） — being deeply moved, strong emotion
  • 自動（じどう / jidou） — automatic, self-operating
  • 運動（うんどう / undou） — exercise; movement; campaign

Example Sentences

  • この机を動かしてもいいですか？

    このつくえをうごかしてもいいですか？ / Kono tsukue o ugokashite mo ii desu ka?

    Is it okay to move this desk?

  • その映画にとても感動しました。

    そのえいがにとてもかんどうしました。 / Sono eiga ni totemo kandou shimashita.

    I was deeply moved by that film.

  • 自動販売機でジュースを買いました。

    じどうはんばいきでジュースをかいました。 / Jidou hanbaiki de juusu o kaimashita.

    I bought juice from the vending machine.

Related Kanji

  • 止

    — Stop — 動く (move) and 止まる (stop) are natural opposites; both appear in the same Day 6 set, reinforcing the move-stop contrast

  • 物

    — Thing/creature — 動物 (animal) = 動 + 物; recognising the structure (moving + thing) makes the compound easy to decode and remember

  • 感

    — Feel — 感動 (deep emotion) = 感 + 動; the pairing of feeling and movement captures the idea of being emotionally moved

When Learners Usually See This Kanji

The intransitive/transitive split is the grammar focus for 動. 動く (ugoku, intransitive): the thing moves itself or is observed moving. 動かす (ugokasu, transitive): a person moves the thing. 電車が動く (the train moves/starts moving) vs 電車を動かす (operate/move the train). 心が動く (one’s heart is moved) vs 心を動かす (move someone’s heart). Getting this pair right is a key N4 grammar step.

動物 (doubutsu, animal) = 動 (move) + 物 (thing/creature) — a creature that moves. This is one of the earliest compound words Japanese learners encounter, and noticing the structure (moving + thing) helps decode and remember it.

自動 (jidou, automatic) = 自 (self) + 動 (move) — something that moves by itself. 自動販売機 (jidou hanbaiki, vending machine), 自動ドア (jidou doa, automatic door). 自動車 (jidousha, automobile) = self-moving vehicle — the original formal word for a car.

感動 (kandou, being deeply moved) is a culturally important word. 感動した！ (I was so moved! / That was incredible!) is a high-frequency expression of emotional response to film, music, sports, or acts of kindness.

Summary

動 means movement or motion, with 動く (intransitive: move) and 動かす (transitive: move something) as the grammar focus, and 動物, 感動, 自動 as the most essential compounds.