襲う

• (Tokyo) おそう (Heiban – )^[1][2]
• (Tokyo) おそう (Nakadaka – )^[1][2][3]
• IPA^(key):

襲(おそ)う • (osou) ^{←おそふ (osofu)?}transitive godan (stem 襲(おそ)い (osoi), past 襲(おそ)った (osotta))

1. to attack, to assault

   Synonym: 攻撃する (kōgeki suru)

   • 2009, Nihon no meijō kyūjūkyū no nazo [Mysteries of 99 famous Japanese castles], page 96:

     敵(てき)の背(はい)後(ご)回(まわ)る仕(し)組(く)みも重(じゅう)要(よう)だ。攻(こう)撃(げき)する際(さい)に正(しょう)面(めん)から向(む)かうより、敵(てき)の後(こう)方(ほう)から襲(おそ)うほうが成(せい)功(こう)率(りつ)は高(たか)いからだ。

     Teki no haigo mawaru shikumi mo jūyō da. Kōgeki suru sai ni shōmen kara mukau yori, teki no kōhō kara osou hō ga seikō ritsu wa takai kara da.

     It is also important to arrange to be behind the opponent. This is because compared to a frontal assault, to attack from the opponent’s rear gives a higher success rate.

   • 2010, Kamuro Banji, Zankon no ken: adauchi ibun [Blade of malice: a tale of vengeance], pages 81-82:

     「討(う)ち入(い)った四(よん)十(じゅう)六(ろく)人(にん)はすべて切(せっ)腹(ぷく)。吉(き)良(ら)家(け)は取(と)り潰(つぶ)された」
     「そうか。しかし、気(き)に入(い)らぬな。相(あい)手(て)の寝(ね)込(こ)みを襲(おそ)うとは、卑(ひ)怯(きょう)ではないか。」

     “Uchiitta yonjūroku-nin wa subete seppuku. Kira-ke wa toritsubusareta”
     “Sō ka. Shikashi, ki ni iranu na. Aite no nekomi o osou to wa, hikyō de wa nai ka.”

     “All forty-six raiders committed seppuku. The Kira clan has been crushed.”
     “I see. But I don’t like it. Is it not cowardly to attack while the opponent is asleep?”

   • 2011, Matsumoto Ichiju, Heta na jinseiron yori Ikkyū no kotoba [Words of Ikkyū: in place of half-baked essays on life], page 34:

     盗(とう)賊(ぞく)はもともと貧(まず)しい家(いえ)を襲(おそ)うものではない。蓄(ちく)財(ざい)した蔵(くら)をねらう。

     Tōzoku wa motomoto mazushii ie o osou mono de wa nai. Chikuzai shita kura o nerau.

     Bandits by nature do not hit poor houses. They aim for rich treasuries.

2. to visit suddenly
3. (of an incapacitating feeling) to overcome one

   眠(ねむ)気(け)が襲(おそ)ってきた。

   Nemuke ga osotte kita.

   Drowsiness has overcome .

   睡(すい)魔(ま)に襲(おそ)われる

   suima ni osowareru

   to be attacked by sleepiness ("a devil of sleepiness")

4. (dated) to follow (as successor)
   • 1912, Uzaki Kumakichi, Jinbutsu hyōron chōya no go daibatsu [Analysis of persons in the five great governing factions], page 339:

     其(その)名(な)の顯(あら)はれしは曩(さき)に上(シヤン)海(ハイ)支(し)店(てん)長(ちやう)たりし時(とき)にあり、其(その)後(ご)渡(わた)邊(なべ)專(せん)次(じ)郞(らう)の後(あと)を襲(おそ)うて倫(ロン)敦(ドン)支(し)店(てん)長(ちやう)となる。

     Mitsui ni iri, sono na no arawareshi wa saki ni Shanhai shitenchō tarishi toki ni ari, sono go Watanabe Senjirō no ato o osōte Rondon shitenchō to naru.

     it was when he was previously Shanghai branch manager that his name became known, and after that he succeeded Senjiro Watanabe as London branch manager.