襲います（おそいます、osoimasu）
- to attack

The Japanese verb 襲います, read おそいます (osomimasu), primarily means "to attack," "to assault," "to raid," or "to fall upon." It implies a sudden, forceful, and often violent action directed at a target. The target can be a person, place, or thing. It can also figuratively mean to befall something negative, like a disease. The core meaning focuses on an act of aggression or something unexpected and negative happening.

⚫︎ 強盗が銀行を襲いました。 Translation: The robbers attacked the bank. ⚫︎ 病気が彼を襲いました。 Translation: Illness befell him. ⚫︎ 敵が村を襲いました。 Translation: The enemy raided the village.

This verb is used in situations where there is an attack, assault, or an unwelcome event. It is more common in formal or written Japanese than in everyday casual conversation. Consider it carefully before using 襲います in daily dialogue. When you intend to describe a direct, sudden and forceful action, especially something negative, 襲いますis a good choice.

The word is typically written with the kanji 襲 combined with the hiragana います. The kanji 襲 itself means "to attack," "to raid," or "to invade." The verb conjugates as follows: • Present affirmative: 襲います (osomimasu) • Present negative: 襲いません (osomimasen) • Past affirmative: 襲いました (osomimashita) • Past negative: 襲いませんでした (osomimasen deshita) The okurigana (the suffix hiragana) is consistent as います.

• 攻撃します (kougeki shimasu) - to attack • 攻めます (sememasu) - to attack, to assault • 侵略します (shinryaku shimasu) - to invade • 突撃します ( Totsugeki shimasu) - to charge • 襲撃します(shuugeki shimasu) - to attack (often used for ambushes)

There isn't a direct antonym. You can think of avoiding an attack as an antonym. • 守ります (mamorimasu) - to protect, to defend • 避けます (sake masu) - to avoid

その夜、謎の生物が町を襲い始めました。 ・Translation: That night, a mysterious creature began to attack the town. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 襲い始めました, the past tense of beginning to attack, to describe an aggressive and damaging action.

大地震が町を襲い、多くの家が倒壊しました。 ・Translation: A major earthquake struck the town, and many houses collapsed. ・Explanation: This sentence depicts an earthquake as something that "attacks" the town, resulting in destruction.

The kanji 襲 is composed of 衣 (clothing) and 龍 (dragon). The etymology relates to the idea of a dragon’s attack; the dragon’s claws or its movement of its body. The meaning expanded to mean to attack or raid.