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刑典 (keiten) Japanese meaning: criminal law books | Kotomora

刑けい典てん

け

い

て

ん

Meanings

1

criminal law books; penal code

Refers to books or compilations of criminal law, often used in historical or legal contexts.

この刑けい典てんは江え戸ど時じ代だいの刑けい法ほうをまとめたものです。
This criminal law book compiles the penal laws of the Edo period.

Kanji

刑punish, penalty, sentence
典code, ceremony, law

Related words

刑けい法ほう
刑法 is the general term for criminal law as a field or the modern penal code, while 刑典 specifically refers to books or compilations of criminal law.

Etymology

Compound of 刑 (punishment, penalty) and 典 (code, rule, book). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term is conventionally used for collections of criminal statutes.