cunning and wickedness; crafty evil
Refers to the quality of being sly, scheming, and morally corrupt. Often used in literary or historical contexts.
彼の奸には誰もが騙された。
Everyone was deceived by his cunning wickedness.
奸な策略で相手を陥れた。
He trapped his opponent with a crafty scheme.
cunning and wicked person; schemer
A person characterized by sly, evil intentions. Rarely used in modern conversation; mainly found in historical or literary texts.
彼は奸として歴史に名を残した。
He went down in history as a cunning and wicked person.
He betrayed his lord and committed an act of treachery.
悪人 is a general word for a bad or evil person, while 奸 specifically stresses cunning, scheming wickedness.
狡猾 describes slyness or cunning without necessarily implying moral evil, whereas 奸 combines cunning with wickedness.
邪悪 means simply wicked or evil, while 奸 adds the nuance of cunning scheming alongside the wickedness.
悪党 is a common word for a scoundrel or villain, while 奸 is a more literary term for a crafty, evil schemer.
善人 means a good, virtuous person, the direct opposite of 奸 as a crafty, wicked schemer.
正直 describes honesty and straightforwardness, contrasting with the sly, deceitful nature implied by 奸.
cunning; craftiness; wiles
evil thief; wicked robber
dirty trick; sinister scheme; sly plot
disloyal retainer; treacherous subject
evil scheme; crafty plot; wicked plan
wicked plot; vicious scheme
villain; traitor; scoundrel
wicked person; evil thing
cunning; sly; crafty
Standard kanji for this meaning; also written as 姦.
Variant kanji form; less common than 奸.
Rare variant; not recommended for general use.
The kanji 奸 and 姦 both convey the idea of wickedness or treachery. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the character is conventionally associated with scheming and evil.
killing a villain; executing a wrongdoer