Japanese word

殺人

Pronunciation

Romajisatsujin

Meaning

  • nounmurder

Example

殺人は犯罪です。satsu jin wa han zai de su

Murder is a crime.

Illustration for 殺人 (murder)

More examples

警察は殺人の証拠を集めています。kei satsu wa satsu jin no shō ko o atsu me te i ma su

The police are collecting evidence of the murder.

Core concept

Refers to the deliberate killing of one person by another as a serious crime.

Common phrases

  • 殺人を犯すsatsu jin o oka su

    commit murder

  • 殺人事件satsu jin ji ken

    murder case

  • 殺人の動機satsu jin no dō ki

    motive for murder

Similar words

殺害satsugai: The act of killing a person, especially in formal or legal language.
殺しkoroshi: The act of killing a person, expressed in casual or blunt language.

Definition in Japanese

人を故意に殺す犯罪。hito o ko i ni koro su han zai

Word origin

The Sino-Japanese compound 殺人 (satsujin, "murder") combines 殺 (satsu, "kill") and 人 (jin, "person").

Usage tips

  • The noun 殺人 (satsujin) names the crime itself, while 殺す (korosu, "to kill") describes the act of killing.

Related words

  • 殺人者satsujinshamurderernoun
  • 殺人的satsujintekimurderouspre-noun adjectival

Word lists with this word