倒す = to defeat? - short question

Japanese Language Kanji
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倒す seems to be used a lot in anime, in the meaning of “defeating” someone. That was not offered as a synonym by WK so I only entered “to topple” …someone, like in sumo (I was thinking, which would also suggest to defeat someone). But, perhaps there’s a different kanji waiting for me that better encompasses this meaning and I’m confusing these two?

I’d be grateful to learn it properly from the start, rather than have to realize my mistake later on. So, can 倒す be translated as to defeat (someone)? Is that a proper translation or is the same “sounds” used with a different kanji in mind?

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I know that games and gamers use it a lot in terms of speaking about beating enemies in-game. So yeah, I hear and see it used in that context a lot. Both in casual speech and the in-game written directions.

Edit: how many phone keyboard errors can I make in one short message? A million.

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So, it can actually mean “to defeat”?

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Yeah, that’s how I see it used.

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According to Yomichan, which retrieves information from JMdict, 倒す also means “to defeat”, “to fell”, “to kill”, “to beat”, etc.

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I just got confused by the WK suggestions of translation. I don’t like verbs turning into sentences! :sweat_smile: There’s something missing in a translation that is unnatural to use.

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I guess I’ll add a couple of synonyms that already matches my own understanding of the word then! Thanks, guys! You’re the best! ^^

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In a way, there is something poetic about it to me. ^^

Knowing only the WK definition, it made a sort of elegant sense when hearing it in a context of vanquished foes.

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WK accepts “to bring down” for that one, which I guess comes pretty close to “to defeat”.

BTW, I knew 倒す as “to defeat” from games too :stuck_out_tongue:

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I DO enjoy that as well, when I understand the underlying meanings of certain words in Japanese. :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

Some Realist I met said that Japanese in not more poetic than other languages, but I honestly disagree. I do like this kanji=meaning=sounds as a way of expressing yourself. Because you can’t do this in Swedish or English. It’s not the same.

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I know. But it’s almost a sentence. Not like: “to defeat”.

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Well the kanji is overthrow, which means you defeated whatever was there to begin with doesn’t it?

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No. I don’t equate “to overthrow” and “to defeat”.

One has a very different angle of defeat (courts and kings), one is just about “you and me”. So they are not the same for me in English at least.

(You don’t “overthrow” your friend, but perhaps a "dictator)

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