殺あやめる

あ

や

め

る

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

ichidan verb, transitive verb

wound; injure; kill; murder

Covers both injuring and killing; context determines severity. Often used in literary or dramatic contexts, and can imply a violent or tragic act.

彼かれは刃は物もので人ひとを殺あやめた罪つみで捕つかまった。
He was arrested for wounding/killing someone with a blade.

戦せん場じょうで多おおくの命いのちが殺あやめられた。

Many lives were taken on the battlefield.

Written forms

殺あやめるUsage72%
Standard kanji spelling for 'to wound/kill'; the most common written form.
あやめるUsage28%
Kana spelling; used when the kanji is avoided or for clarity.
危あやめる
Rare alternative kanji; the character 危 suggests danger or harm, but this spelling is seldom used.

Kanji

殺kill, murder, butcher
危dangerous, fear, uneasy

Similar words

殺ころす
殺す is the common, everyday word for 'to kill'. 殺める is more literary and can also mean 'to wound', whereas 殺す unambiguously means 'to kill'.
傷きずつける
傷つける is the standard word for 'to injure/wound' (physically or emotionally). 殺める is less common and carries a heavier, often fatal nuance.

Etymology

Derived from classical Japanese verb あやむ (to harm, to kill), with the modern ichidan ending ～める. The exact origin of あや is uncertain, but it may be related to 危 (danger) or 怪 (suspicious).