assassin's bullet; bullet from an assassin
Used in news reports and formal writing to refer to a bullet fired by an assassin or in a politically motivated attack.
The politician fell to an assassin's bullet.
He is remembered as a hero who fell to an assassin's bullet.
Standard kanji form; commonly used in news contexts.
Rarely used variant kanji form; 凶 is the modern standard.
Compound of 凶 (bad, evil) and 弾 (bullet). The kanji 凶 conveys the malicious nature of the shooting.