遡(さかのぼ)る

さかのぼる
verb (godan)
to go back; to trace back
1. to go upstream; to go against the current
To travel in the opposite direction of a river's flow.
川(かわ)を遡(さかのぼ)る。
To go upstream.
鮭(さけ)は川(かわ)を遡(さかのぼ)って卵(たまご)を産(う)む。
Salmon go upstream to lay their eggs.
ボートで流(なが)れに逆(さか)らって川(かわ)を遡(さかのぼ)った。
I went upstream by boat against the current.
源流(げんりゅう)を目指(めざ)して何時間(なんじかん)も山道(やまみち)を遡(さかのぼ)り続(つづ)けた。
I kept going upstream along the mountain path for hours, aiming for the river's source.
2. to trace back; to go back in time
To examine or consider events from the past; to date back to an earlier time.
歴史(れきし)を遡(さかのぼ)って調(しら)べる。
To research by tracing back through history.
この問題(もんだい)は10年前(じゅうねんまえ)に遡(さかのぼ)る。
This problem dates back to 10 years ago.
記憶(きおく)を遡(さかのぼ)って、あの日(ひ)のことを思(おも)い出(だ)そうとした。
I tried to trace back through my memories to recall what happened that day.
この伝統(でんとう)は江戸(えど)時代(じだい)まで遡(さかのぼ)ることができる。
This tradition can be traced back to the Edo period.
家系(かけい)を遡(さかのぼ)ると、祖先(そせん)は九州(きゅうしゅう)から来(き)たらしい。
Tracing back my family lineage, it seems my ancestors came from Kyushu.

TRANSITIVITY: 自動詞(じどうし) (intransitive). Pattern: Xを遡(さかのぼ)る (to go back along X).

WRITING: Can also be written as 溯(さかのぼ)る (older kanji variant).

COMMON PATTERNS:

  • 川(かわ)を遡(さかのぼ)る (to go upstream)
  • 時間(じかん)を遡(さかのぼ)る (to go back in time)
  • 過去(かこ)に遡(さかのぼ)る (to trace back to the past)
  • 記憶(きおく)を遡(さかのぼ)る (to go back through memories)

CONTRAST:

  • 下(くだ)る (to go downstream, descend)

Related Words

Antonym: 下(くだ)る (to descend)
core
Added 2026.1.13 16:50 · Revised 2026.3.3 9:07
04000/04003_sakanoboru