Japanese

Verb

手を上げる ‎(intransitive, hiragana てをあげる, romaji te o ageru)

1. to raise one's hand or hands

   Extended meanings include:

   1. to raise one's hands in supplication or surrender: to give up, to quit, to surrender
   2. to strike someone, or to threaten to do so: to raise one's fist, to raise one's hand against someone
   3. (idiomatic) to improve, to raise one's level of skill or competence
   4. to return one's hands to normal posture, after prostrating oneself (such as in deep apology or supplication)

Conjugation

Related terms

• お手上 (てあ)げ ‎(oteage): throwing up one's hands, giving up, quitting (noun)

Synonyms

• (give up): 匙 (さじ)を投 (な)げる ‎(saji o nageru) literally, “to throw the spoon”

References

1. ↑ 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
2. ↑ 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13905-9