Usage patterns 残ざん 虐ぎゃく な 行こう 為い a cruel/brutal act
The soldier repeatedly committed brutal acts.
〈 人ひと 〉 を 残ざん 虐ぎゃく に 扱あつか う to treat someone brutally
Prisoners of war must not be treated brutally.
残ざん 虐ぎゃく な 事じ 件けん a brutal incident/crime
A series of brutal crimes shocked society.
Kanji 残 remainder, leftover, balance 惨 wretched, disaster, cruelty Related words 残酷 is the everyday word for cruel or heartless acts, while 残虐 is stronger and typically describes extreme, savage brutality in formal or news contexts.
非道 stresses wickedness and moral injustice, whereas 残虐 focuses on the violent, savage nature of the act itself.
凶悪 describes a person or crime as viciously dangerous, while 残虐 specifically highlights merciless, savage violence.
残虐 describes the cruelty of an act or person in general, while 暴虐 more specifically evokes violent, oppressive rule or large-scale atrocity.
残虐 describes cruelty as a quality or trait (often used as 残虐な ), while 蛮行 names the concrete barbaric act itself.
Don't confuse with 残虐 and 残酷 share the kanji 残 and both mean cruel, but 残虐 is stronger, usually describing extreme violence or atrocities, while 残酷 covers a broader range of harsh or pitiless situations.
Written forms 残ざん 虐ぎゃく Usage 99%
Standard kanji spelling; used in news and everyday writing.
惨ざん 虐ぎゃく Usage 1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.
Etymology Compound of 残 (remaining, cruel) and 虐 (oppress, tyrannize). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the kanji combination conventionally conveys extreme cruelty.
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