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打ち首 (うちくび) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

打うち首くび

う

ち

く

び

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

noun

decapitation; beheading

Refers to the act of cutting off someone's head, especially as a form of execution in historical contexts.

江え戸ど時じ代だいには、打うち首くびが刑けい罰ばつの一ひとつだった。
In the Edo period, decapitation was one of the punishments.

Written forms

打うち首くびUsage75%
Standard kanji spelling.
打うち首くびUsage18%
Variant spelling without okurigana.
討首うちくびUsage7%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.

Kanji

打strike, hit, knock
首neck, counter for songs and poems
討chastise, attack, defeat

Similar words

斬ざん首しゅ
斬首 is a more formal or literary term for beheading, often used in historical or official contexts.
首くび切きり
首切り is a more colloquial and direct term for beheading or firing someone from a job.

Etymology

Compound of 打ち (uchi, 'striking') + 首 (kubi, 'neck'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term straightforwardly refers to striking the neck to sever the head.