実弾
Meanings
live ammunition; real bullet; live round
Refers to actual bullets or shells that can be fired, as opposed to blanks or dummy rounds. Used in military, police, and news contexts.
The police announced that the suspect was carrying live ammunition.
Live rounds are not used in training.
bribe money; cash (for illicit purposes)
Colloquial, often used in contexts of bribery or under-the-table payments. The metaphor is that money is 'ammunition' to get things done.
That politician is said to have used cash to buy silence.
Usage patterns
- 実弾を発射するto fire live ammunition
During training, he accidentally fired a live round.
- 実弾を渡すto hand over bribe money
It's rumored that he handed over bribe money to the lawmaker before the election.
- 実弾を装填するto load live ammunition
The police officer loaded live rounds into his pistol.
- 実弾攻勢をかけるto launch a bribery campaign (lit. an 'ammunition offensive')
The industry group launched a bribery offensive against the politician.