Japanese word

さかのぼる

Pronunciation

Romajisakanoboru

Meaning

  • verbgo upstream

Example

魚が川をさかのぼります。sakana ga kawa o sa ka no bo ri ma su

The fish go upstream in the river.

Illustration for さかのぼる (go upstream)

More examples

調査隊は川をさかのぼって、源流を目指します。chō sa tai wa kawa o sa ka no bo tte gen ryū o me za shi ma su

The research team goes upstream along the river toward its source.

Core concept

Marks a return along a path toward where something began, whether the path is a river, a timeline, or a chain of events.

Common phrases

  • 川をさかのぼるkawa o sa ka no bo ru

    go upstream along the river

  • 源流までさかのぼるgen ryū ma de sa ka no bo ru

    go upstream to the source

  • 流れに逆らってさかのぼるnaga re ni saka ra tte sa ka no bo ru

    go upstream against the current

Similar words

上るnoboru: To travel upstream along a river or stream.
戻るmodoru: To move back toward a point that was passed earlier.
たどるtadoru: To follow a route or sequence toward its source or an earlier point.

Definition in Japanese

川などの流れに逆らって上流へ進む。また、過去の時点や物事の始まりへ向かって戻る。kawa na do no naga re ni saka ra tte jō ryū e susu mu ma ta ka ko no ji ten ya mono goto no haji ma ri e mu ka tte modo ru

Word origin

The Japanese verb さかのぼる (sakanoboru) comes from the native elements 逆 (saka, "reverse") and 上る (noboru, "go up"), which give it the sense of going upward against a flow.

Usage tips

  • With a date, さかのぼる (sakanoboru) makes the date a point reached by tracing events backward, a pattern common in explanations of history and origins.

Other meanings

  • go backverb
  • date backverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word