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Words Kanji Guides About

斬罪 (ざんざい) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

斬ざん罪ざい

ざ

ん

ざ

い

Meanings

1

noun

decapitation; beheading

Historical term for execution by beheading, used in pre-modern Japanese legal contexts.

江え戸ど時じ代だいには、重おもい罪つみに対たいして斬ざん罪ざいが科かされることがあった。
In the Edo period, decapitation was sometimes imposed for serious crimes.

Kanji

斬beheading, kill, murder
罪guilt, sin, crime

Similar words

死し刑けい
死刑 is the general modern term for the death penalty, while 斬罪 specifically refers to execution by beheading in historical contexts.
打うち首くび
打ち首 is a more colloquial and dramatic term for beheading, often used in period dramas, whereas 斬罪 is a formal legal term.

Etymology

Compound of 斬 (ざん, 'to behead') and 罪 (ざい, 'crime' or 'punishment'), literally meaning 'beheading punishment'.