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原告 (げんこく) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word JLPT N1 Freq. Frequency Top 20,000 Meanings 1
noun
plaintiff ; accuser ; prosecutor
law
Legal term for the party bringing a civil lawsuit or criminal complaint. In Japanese criminal procedure, the prosecutor is usually 検察官, but 原告 can refer to a private accuser in certain contexts.
See also: 被告
In this case, the plaintiff's witness played an important role.
Kanji 原 meadow, original, primitive 告 revelation, tell, inform Similar words 被ひ 告こく 被告 is the defendant or accused party, the counterpart to 原告 in a lawsuit.
検けん 察さつ 官かん 検察官 is the public prosecutor in criminal cases, whereas 原告 is the plaintiff in civil suits or a private accuser.
Etymology Compound of 原 (original, source) and 告 (to inform, accuse), literally 'the one who originally brings the accusation'. The term is a direct borrowing from Chinese legal terminology.
