Japanese word

人殺し

Pronunciation

Romajihitogoroshi

Meaning

  • nounmurderer

Example

警察は人殺しを捕まえました。kei satsu wa hito goro shi o tsuka ma e ma shi ta

The police caught a murderer.

Illustration for 人殺し (murderer)

More examples

彼が人殺しだと知って、皆は驚きました。kare ga hito goro shi da to shi tte mina wa odoro ki ma shi ta

Everyone was shocked to learn that he was a murderer.

Core concept

Describes a person identified by the act of killing another human being.

Common phrases

  • 人殺しを捕まえるhito goro shi o tsuka ma e ru

    catch a murderer

  • 人殺しの疑いhito goro shi no utaga i

    suspicion of being a murderer

Similar words

殺人者satsujinsha: A person who has killed another human being, without stating a legal status.
殺人犯satsujinhan: A person held responsible for murder, especially in a legal context.

Definition in Japanese

人を殺害した者。hito o satsu gai shi ta mono

Word origin

人殺し (hitogoroshi) is a compound of 人 (hito, "person") and 殺し (koroshi, "killing"), formed from the verb 殺す (korosu, "to kill").

Usage tips

  • English separates murderer and murder, while 人殺し (hitogoroshi) can cover both meanings, making the surrounding context important.

Other meanings

  • murdernoun

Word lists with this word