Meaning
奔 (ホン) means to run swiftly, rush with urgency, flee, or gallop. It shares territory with the everyday kanji 走, but where 走 describes ordinary running, 奔 signals movement driven by strong emotion, pressing obligation, or desperate necessity. When 奔 appears in text, the action is never casual.
The etymology makes the intensity visible. The top component, 大, depicts a person with arms spread wide in full motion. Below it, short strokes represent rapid, repeating footfalls — feet hitting the ground in quick succession. A powerful figure charging forward at full speed, not slowing down.
Classical East Asian literature used 奔 for war horses galloping across battlefields and messengers sprinting to deliver urgent news to distant lords. Over time, the meaning extended to include people who run tirelessly on another person's behalf. That nuance is central to 奔走 (ほんそう) — the most common modern compound, heard constantly in business Japanese, meaning to hustle around on someone else's behalf.
奔 has 8 strokes and is a grade 8 (high school) kanji on Japan's Jōyō list. It appears on the JLPT N1 exam and regularly in newspapers, formal correspondence, and classical literature.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
The on'yomi ホン (hon) comes from the classical Chinese bēn. Nearly every modern Japanese use of 奔 takes this reading, almost always inside compound words (熟語, jukugo). It surfaces across business email, newspaper editorials, and formal prose alike.
- 奔走 (honsō) — running around busily on someone's behalf; hustling to arrange or negotiate for another person
- 奔放 (honpō) — free-spirited, unrestrained; behaving without concern for social convention
- 出奔 (shuppon) — fleeing, desertion; in historical contexts, also elopement or abandoning one's post
- 奔流 (honryū) — a rushing torrent; a swift, powerful current surging forward
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
The kun'yomi はし・る (hashiru) is the native Japanese reading. Written with 走, 走る is the standard word for everyday running. Written with 奔, 奔る carries a more intense, literary register — the thundering gallop of a horse, the desperate flight of a fugitive, a river surging through a gorge. Rare in casual modern writing, it matters for classical and formal prose.
- 奔る (hashiru) — to gallop, rush, race; literary and poetic register
- 野を奔る馬 (no wo hashiru uma) — a horse galloping across the open fields; a classic poetic image
Common Words & Compounds
Most 奔 compounds cluster around urgent movement, frantic activity, or unrestrained energy.
Action & Urgency
- 奔走 (honsō) — running around busily; working tirelessly to arrange or negotiate on someone's behalf; the most common 奔 compound in modern Japanese
- 出奔 (shuppon) — fleeing, running away; abandoning one's responsibilities; historically used for desertion or elopement
- 奔命 (honmei) — running under urgent orders; acting frantically at someone's command; the feeling of being too buried in orders to think
- 狂奔 (kyōhon) — rushing about wildly; chaotic movement driven by desperation or frenzy
- 奔出 (honshutsu) — rushing out suddenly; gushing outward with force; used for both people and liquids bursting forward
Nature & Power
- 奔流 (honryū) — a rushing torrent; a powerful current surging with tremendous force
- 奔馬 (honba) — a galloping horse; used symbolically for unstoppable momentum or energy
- 奔騰 (hontō) — soaring, surging rapidly upward; common in financial writing for sharply rising prices
Character & Personality
- 奔放 (honpō) — free-spirited, uninhibited; energy or behavior that flows without regard for convention; admiring or critical depending on context
- 奔逸 (hon'itsu) — wild, unrestrained, overflowing; used for thoughts, emotions, or imagination that exceed normal bounds
Four-Character Idiom (四字熟語)
- 東奔西走 (tōhonseisō) — literally "running east and west"; rushing around everywhere without rest; being extremely busy traveling from place to place. This yojijukugo is a staple of formal writing and newspaper headlines.
Example Sentences
彼は新しいプロジェクトのために毎日奔走している。
Kare wa atarashii purojekuto no tame ni mainichi honsō shite iru.
He hustles every day for the new project.
彼女は奔放な生き方で多くの人に知られている。
Kanojo wa honpō na ikikata de ōku no hito ni shirarete iru.
She's well known for her free-spirited way of life.
大雨の後、川の奔流が橋を流した。
Ōame no ato, kawa no honryū ga hashi wo nagashita.
After the heavy rain, the river's torrent swept the bridge away.
彼は借金から逃れるために夜中に出奔した。
Kare wa shakkin kara nogareru tame ni yonaka ni shuppon shita.
He fled in the dead of night to escape his debts.
新しい事業のために東奔西走する毎日が続いている。
Atarashii jigyō no tame ni tōhonseisō suru mainichi ga tsuzuite iru.
Racing around for the new business venture — that's been every day lately.
馬が広い野原を奔る姿は力強くて美しい。
Uma ga hiroi nohara wo hashiru sugata wa chikara-zuyokute utsukushii.
A horse galloping across an open field — powerful and beautiful to watch.
株価が奔騰し、多くの投資家が利益を得た。
Kabuka ga hontō shi, ōku no tōshika ga rieki wo eta.
Stock prices surged, and many investors walked away with gains.
部長は取引先との契約のために一週間奔走した。
Buchō wa torihikisaki to no keiyaku no tame ni isshūkan honsō shita.
The department manager spent a full week running around to close the contract with their business partners.
Memory Tip
Picture a tall figure (大) sprinting so hard their feet barely touch the ground — just a blur of rapid steps underneath. The top of 奔 shows that person in full stride; the lower strokes are the feet hitting earth in fast succession.
For vocabulary, picture a salaryman tearing through Shinjuku Station, briefcase swinging, racing between meetings on his boss's behalf. That frantic, non-stop scramble is 奔走 (honsō) made visible.
Vietnamese learners have a shortcut: the Sino-Vietnamese reading BÔN is the same character. Bôn ba (hustling through life's hardships) and bôn tẩu (to flee) carry the identical meaning — same kanji, same tireless urgency.