Translation guide
A person who has been sentenced to death and is awaiting execution. In Japanese, this is expressed through specific legal terms and common phrases.
The most common and neutral way to refer to a person convicted and awaiting execution.
Standard term for a death row inmate. Used in news, legal contexts, and everyday conversation.
Used in official documents, court proceedings, or formal news reporting.
Formal term meaning 'person with a finalized death sentence'. Common in legal and bureaucratic contexts.
Used in casual conversation or media to describe someone on death row.
Casual way to say 'a person who will be executed'. Not a legal term, but understandable in everyday speech.
Do not directly translate 'convict on death row' as '死刑の囚人' or '死刑列の囚人'. These are not natural Japanese and may cause confusion.
In Japanese, the term used often depends on the legal status (sentence finalized or not) and the formality of the situation. 死刑囚 is the safest general term.
その死刑囚は長年、獄中で過ごした。
The death row inmate spent many years in prison.
Literally 'a prisoner whose death sentence has been finalized'. More formal and precise, often used in legal or news reports.
The convict whose death sentence has been finalized is still being held in the detention center.
The execution of a person with a finalized death sentence is carried out by order of the Minister of Justice.
Literally 'a person who has received a death sentence'. Slightly less formal than 死刑確定者, but still used in legal contexts.
A person who has received a death sentence has the right to appeal.
That person who is going to be executed said he wants to see his family one last time.
Literally 'a prisoner awaiting execution'. More literary or dramatic, less common in daily use.
The psychological state of prisoners awaiting execution is complex.