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残忍酷薄 (ざんにんこくはく) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

残ざん忍にん酷こく薄はく

Meanings

1

na-adjective, noun

cruel; heartless; brutal; atrocious

yojijukugo (four-character idiom)

A yojijukugo describing a person or act as extremely cruel and merciless. Often used in literary or emphatic contexts.

彼かれの残ざん忍にん酷こく薄はくな仕し打うちに、誰だれもが言こと葉ばを失うしなった。
Everyone was speechless at his cruel and heartless treatment.
その歴れき史し書しょには、残ざん忍にん酷こく薄はくな拷ごう問もんの記き録ろくが残のこっている。
That history book contains records of brutal and atrocious torture.

Written forms

残ざん忍にん酷こく薄はく
Standard kanji spelling for this yojijukugo.
残ざん忍にん刻こく薄はく
Variant spelling using 刻 instead of 酷; both are used.

Kanji

残remainder, leftover, balance
忍endure, bear, put up with

酷cruel, severe, atrocious

薄dilute, thin, weak (tea)

刻engrave, cut fine, chop

Similar words

残ざん酷こく
Common word for 'cruelty'; 残忍酷薄 is a stronger, more literary yojijukugo emphasizing extreme heartlessness.
非ひ道どう
Means 'inhuman' or 'outrageous'; 残忍酷薄 focuses more on cold-blooded cruelty.

Etymology

A yojijukugo combining 残忍 (cruel) and 酷薄 (heartless, atrocious). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it is a literary compound used to intensify the sense of cruelty.