Kanji: 殺 kill

JLPT N3 | 10 Strokes

殺

On:  サツ、 サイ、 セツ
Kun: ころ.す、 -ごろ.し、 そ.ぐ

Meaning: kill; murder

Kanji Parts: 

  • メ cross; X
  • 木 tree
  • 殳 a pike (weapon)

Etymology: 

  • The soldier went to kill Jesus by piercing  him on the cross メ made of wood 木 with a pike/spear 殳, but he was already dead. (John 19:34)

Stroke Order:


Examples:

  • 殺人(さつじん) murder; homicide
  • 暗殺(あんさつ) assassination
  • 殺菌(さっきん) sterilization; disinfection


こんなやさしい人ひとを殺ころすなんて、犯人はんにんは血ちも涙なみだもないやつだ。

To have killed such a nice person, the murderer is inhuman.

  • こんな~ konna―such as~
  • やさしい yasashii―kind
  • 人 hito―person
  • 殺す korosu―to kill
  • なんて nante―[colloquial variation ofとは (quotation marker + topic marker) which quotes something that the speaker thinks is outrageous in either a good or bad sense before stating his or her own opinion about it. なんて is like an exclamation mark. It almost acts as the “that” in “How horrible that the man killed…….” (not quite exact translation but hopefully you get the idea).]
  • 犯人 hannin―criminal; the offender
  • 血 chi―blood
  • もmo―even (blood/tears)
  • 涙 namida―tears
  • 血も涙もない chi mo namida mo nai―inhuman; cold-blooded [~もない means “there is even no ~”]
  • やつ yatsu―guy (usually with a negative sense)
  • だ da―plain form of です (be; is; means a word that links subjects and predicates)

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