The Meaning of oitsuku [追い付く] In Japanese

追い付く
おいつく
Romaji: oitsuku N4

What does 追い付く mean?

Translation and Meaning

to catch up, to reach, to overtake, to keep up with

Definition

What does 追い付く mean? It means to catch up with someone or something, to come up to their pace or position, closing the distance. In everyday use it describes both physical pursuit and achieving parity in progress or performance, signaling that the gap is no longer larger than before.

Type

verb (godan)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • To physically catch up to someone who is ahead in a race or movement.
  • To reach the same level of progress, performance, or pace as someone else.
  • To close the gap in distance, time, or performance.
  • Figuratively, to match or exceed someone’s knowledge or skill level.

Etymology

From 追う (ou, to chase) + 付く (tsuku, to attach/adhere); the connector い links the act of chasing to the act of attaching to the pursued, yielding the sense of closing the gap.

Composition

  • 追 = to chase, pursue
  • 付く = to attach, adhere; here, it conveys the idea of attaching to the pace or position ahead

Usage

Used in neutral to casual to formal contexts to describe catching up in distance or progress; common constructions include XがYに追い付く and XはYに追いつく, and it appears in sports, academics, work, and everyday planning as a way to express closing a gap or matching pace; typical usage involves verbs of movement or progress and targets such as a person, time, or standard.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: imagine a runner literally ‘chasing and attaching’ to the leader’s pace until the distance disappears; the い acts as the glue between chasing and attaching, signaling the closing of the gap.

Variations

  • 追い越す (おいこす, oikosu) — to overtake
  • 差を縮める (さを ちぢめる, sa o chijimeru) — to close the gap
  • 追随する (ついつい する? tsuizui suru) — to follow closely
  • 遅れる (おくれる, okureru) — to fall behind

Words with the same Kanji

Example Phrases

  • 彼は 練習で 私に 追い付く ために 毎日 練習する。
    Kare wa renshū de watashi ni oitsuku tame ni mainichi renshū suru.
    He practices every day to catch up with me.
    Lista:
    • 彼は (kare wa) – He
    • 練習で (renshū de) – during practice
    • 私に (watashi ni) – to me
    • 追い付く (oitsuku) – to catch up
    • ために (tame ni) – in order to
    • 毎日 (mainichi) – every day
    • 練習する (renshū suru) – to practice
    「追い付く」 means ‘to catch up’; used with 私に to indicate the target, and ために marks purpose.
追い付く