Translation guide
The quality of being shockingly evil or wicked. In Japanese, this concept is often expressed through adjectives describing the act or person, nouns for the abstract quality, or set phrases emphasizing extreme moral repulsiveness.
To say that a crime, deed, or behavior is shockingly evil or atrocious.
The most common and direct adjective for heinous crimes or acts. Often used in news and formal contexts.
彼は凶悪な犯罪を犯した。
He committed a heinous crime.
Emphasizes cruelty and brutality. Suitable for acts that are both evil and merciless.
その殺人は非常に残忍だった。
The murder was extremely heinous.
A strong, emphatic compound meaning 'atrocious and inhuman'. Used in formal or dramatic contexts.
極悪非道な行為は許されない。
Heinous acts are unforgivable.
To refer to the concept or state of being heinous, often as a noun.
The noun form of 凶悪, directly meaning 'heinousness' or 'atrociousness'.
その事件の凶悪さに人々は震え上がった。
People trembled at the heinousness of the incident.
The noun form of 残忍, focusing on the cruel and brutal nature of an act.
犯人の残忍さは想像を絶する。
The heinousness of the perpetrator is unimaginable.
To express that something is not just evil but also disgusting or abhorrent.
Means 'outrageous' or 'unspeakable', often used for acts that are morally repulsive and beyond words.
彼の行動は言語道断だ。
His actions are heinous.
Literally 'hard to forgive', this phrase conveys the unforgivable nature of a heinous act.
これは許しがたい犯罪だ。
This is a heinous crime.
There is no single Japanese word that perfectly matches the English noun 'heinousness' in all contexts. It is more natural to use adjectives like 凶悪な or noun forms like 凶悪さ depending on whether you are describing an act or referring to the quality itself.
Used as a noun to denote extreme wickedness and inhumanity. Often found in formal accusations or literary descriptions.
彼の極悪非道には言葉もない。
Words fail to describe his heinousness.