音読み: ソ
訓読み: うったえる
画数: 12
部首: ごんべん（言）
Meaning
To appeal / To complain / To accuse
- Basic forms
- 訴える — appeal; complain; sue / base form
- 訴えます — appeals; complains / masu form
- 訴えた — appealed; complained / ta form
- 訴えて — appealing … / te form
- 訴えない — do not complain / negative
- 訴えれば — if (one) appeals / conditional
- Common expressions
- 痛みを訴える — complain of pain
- 不満を訴える — voice a complaint
- 裁判に訴えた — took (a matter) to court
- More
- 訴えている — is appealing; is complaining / state
訴える（うったえる） is an ichidan transitive verb. It means to express something strongly (pain, feelings, demands), and it can also mean “to sue” or “take a matter to court,” depending on context.
- 訴える — to appeal; to complain; to take (someone) to court
- 訴訟 — lawsuit; legal action
- 告訴 — accusation; formal complaint
- 訴求 — appeal; marketing appeal (“this really speaks to customers”)
- 訴状 — written complaint / statement filed with a court
- 訴願 — formal petition / appeal
- 訴求力 — persuasive power; pulling power with the audience
On the left is 言 — speech, words, saying something out loud. On the right is 斥, which gives the sound ソ. Together, 訴 is literally “to speak out,” especially when you want someone to hear, judge, or fix something — complain, accuse, appeal.