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Kanji Detail for 斬 - "to cut"

斬

  • Meaning

    斬 means "to cut." Also associated with to slay, new.

    1. Cut - To slice with a blade.

    2. Slay - To kill with a weapon.

    3. New - Fresh; novel (modern usage).

  • Words using 斬

    • 斬新 ざんしん Listen novel; original; new
    • 斬る きる Listen to kill (a human) using a blade (sword, machete, knife, etc.); to slice (off); to lop (off)

  • Four-character idioms with 斬

    • 斬新奇抜 ざんしんきばつ Listen novel; unconventional; cutting-edge

  • Tattoo check: 斬

    • Verified meaning: to cut
    • Official Jōyō kanji — a standard character every Japanese reader recognises
    • Used in real Japanese given names (read きり)
    • Also carries these associations: to slay, new

    A single kanji rarely maps one-to-one onto an English word. Read the meanings and associations above as a set — a character that fits the dictionary definition can still carry a connotation you did not intend.

  • Name readings of 斬

    Surnames 斬(きり)Listen

  • Dictionary Citations

    The meaning above is based on the following sources:

    KANJIDIC2 A comprehensive Japanese-English kanji dictionary

    beheading; kill; murder

    Unihan Unicode Han Database for CJK characters

    cut, chop, sever; behead

    CC-CEDICT A Chinese-English dictionary

    to behead (as form of capital punishment); to chop

    Make Me a Hanzi Open-source Chinese character data

    to chop, to cut, to sever; to behead

    XSZD Xuéshēng Zìdiǎn (學生字典) - Student's Dictionary

    To chop. Any swift downward strike with a blade is called 斬. Such as 斬草除根 (to cut the weeds and eliminate the roots). In the old legal system, decapitation was called 斬. Such as 斬立決 (immediate execution), 斬監候 (execution after imprisonment). | To sever, terminate. From "Mencius": "The influence of a gentleman lasts five generations before it is cut off." | An emphatic particle meaning "completely." Such as 斬新 (brand new), 斬齊 (completely even).

  • Onyomi

    tip

    san(サン) サン

    sen(セン) セン

    zan(ザン) ザン

    zen(ゼン) ゼン

  • Kunyomi

    tip

    ki.ru(き-る) き-る

  • Strokes

    tip

    11 strokes

  • Radical

    tip

    斤 (onozukuri・ono・kin)

  • Related Keywords

    to cut to slay new to break off to endure kill slice behead chop cleave decapitate sever hack split fresh novel innovative

Sentences including 斬

  • That's an original idea.

  • This building is extremely innovative.

  • This is what we call a "brand new idea".

  • Well, it's time for your decapitation. Don't you have any last words to say?

  • His utter failure at the last peace conference has taught him to arm himself to the teeth with new tricks and tactics.

More kanji with the radical 斤 (onozukuri・ono・kin)

See all kanji with this radical →

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