Japanese word

懲役

Pronunciation

Romajichōeki

Meaning

  • nounimprisonment with hard labor

Example

彼は懲役三年の判決を受けました。kare wa chō eki san nen no han ketsu o u ke ma shi ta

He was sentenced to three years of imprisonment with hard labor.

Illustration for 懲役 (imprisonment with hard labor)

More examples

裁判所は彼に懲役二年を科しました。sai ban sho wa kare ni chō eki ni nen o ka shi ma shi ta

The court sentenced him to two years of imprisonment with hard labor.

Core concept

Describes a prison sentence in which punishment includes both confinement and compulsory work.

Common phrases

  • 懲役三年chō eki san nen

    three years of imprisonment with hard labor

  • 懲役を科すchō eki o ka su

    impose imprisonment with hard labor

  • 懲役に服するchō eki ni fuku su ru

    serve a sentence of imprisonment with hard labor

Definition in Japanese

刑務所に入れて自由を奪い、刑罰として作業をさせること。また、その刑。kei mu sho ni i re te ji yū o uba i kei batsu to shi te sa gyō o sa se ru ko to ma ta so no kei

Word origin

懲役 (chōeki, "imprisonment with labor") is a Sino-Japanese compound of 懲 (chō, "punish") and 役 (eki, "duty or labor"), expressing labor imposed as punishment.

Usage tips

  • The translation "imprisonment with hard labor" is formal legal English, so 懲役 (chōeki) usually belongs to legal or historical discussion rather than everyday conversation.

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