Japanese word

暗殺

Pronunciation

Romajiansatsu

Meaning

  • nounassassination

Example

新聞で大統領の暗殺を知りました。shin bun de dai tō ryō no an satsu o shi ri ma shi ta

I learned about the president's assassination from the newspaper.

Illustration for 暗殺 (assassination)

More examples

政府は要人の暗殺を防ぐため、警備を強化しています。sei fu wa yō jin no an satsu o fuse gu ta me kei bi o kyō ka shi te i ma su

The government is strengthening security to prevent the assassination of a senior official.

Core concept

Refers to the secret killing of a prominent person, often for a political or ideological purpose.

Common phrases

  • 暗殺の標的an satsu no hyō teki

    target of an assassination

  • 暗殺を企てるan satsu o kuwada te ru

    plot an assassination

  • 暗殺を防ぐan satsu o fuse gu

    prevent an assassination

Similar words

殺人satsujin: The unlawful killing of one person by another, without requiring public status or political purpose.
謀殺bōsatsu: The planned killing of a person, whether or not the victim is a public figure.

Definition in Japanese

政治的な目的などで、要人をひそかに殺すこと。sei ji teki na moku teki na do de yō jin o hi so ka ni koro su ko to

Word origin

The Sino-Japanese compound 暗殺 (ansatsu) combines 暗 (an, "dark") and 殺 (satsu, "kill"), giving the word its sense of killing secretly.

Usage tips

  • In English, assassination usually refers to the deliberate killing of a prominent public figure, while murder is the broader word for unlawful killing.

Related words

  • 暗殺者ansatsushaassassinnoun

Word lists with this word