also: かんけつ
noun, na-adjective
iniquity; wickedness; dishonesty
Rare, literary term for moral corruption, deceit, or wickedness. Not used in everyday conversation; encountered mainly in classical or formal texts.
その政治家の奸譎な振る舞いは、やがて国民の知るところとなった。
The politician's wicked and deceitful behavior eventually became known to the public.
古典文学には
In classical literature, villains who commit every kind of iniquity often appear.
Alternate kanji spelling using 姦 instead of 奸. Equally rare.
Alternate reading; rare and not standard. Included for lookup purposes.
The exact derivation is uncertain. The kanji 奸/姦 suggest 'wickedness' or 'cunning', and 譎 means 'deceit'. The word likely originated in classical Chinese and was adopted into literary Japanese.