How to Say "Homicide" in Japanese

殺人

satsujin[sa̠t͡sɨʑĩɴ]

Homicide in Japanese is 殺人 (satsujin).

殺人 refers to the killing of one person by another.

Meaning: the killing of one person by another (noun)

What does it mean word for word?

The word 殺人 is composed of the kanji 殺 (kill) and 人 (person).

While 殺人 is the general term for the act of killing a person, it is often used in legal and journalistic contexts to denote homicide or murder.

satsujin

The kanji 殺 can also be used in the word 殺風景 'satsu-fuukei', which means 'bleak landscape'. In this context, it does not mean killing a person but 'killing' the mood or the vibrancy of a scene.
In Japanese law, the term 殺人 is the basis for 殺人罪 'the crime of homicide'. Interestingly, Japan has a specific legal category for 'mercy killing', known as 嘱託殺人 'homicide by request'.
In Japanese pop culture, the word 殺人 appears frequently in the title of the 'murder mystery' genre, known as 殺人事件 'murder incident'. This is a staple of the 'honkaku' style of detective fiction where the reader competes with the detective to solve the crime.

トムさんが退職するまで、殺人担当刑事でした。
Tom was a homicide detective before he retired.
This sentence shows the use of 殺人 in the context of a detective's profession.
Tatoeba #1634744 by ari_diary, translation #1092449 by CK
新聞によると、その町で起きた殺人事件は未解決のままです。
According to the newspaper, the homicide case in that town remains unsolved.
ドラマのストーリーは、殺しの謎に迫っていく。
The drama's storyline delves into the mystery of the homicide.
警察は傷害致死の容疑者を逮捕しました。
The police arrested a suspect of fatal injury.
友達が殺人に巻き込まれたという噂が広まっている。
Rumors have been spreading that my friend was involved in a murder.
その事件は、凄惨な殺人でした。
Sono jiken wa, seisan na satsujin deshita.
That incident was a gruesome homicide.
彼は殺人の容疑で逮捕された。
Kare wa satsujin no yōgi de taiho sareta.
He was arrested on suspicion of homicide.

Two students are discussing a true crime documentary in a library.

大翔 Hiroto

このドキュメンタリーは、実際の殺人事件を扱っています。
Kono dokyumentarī wa, jissai no satsujin jiken o atsukatte imasu.
This documentary deals with an actual homicide case.
結衣 Yui

大翔さん、それは怖くないですか？
Hiroto-san, sore wa kowakunai desu ka?
Hiroto, isn't that scary?
大翔 Hiroto

少し怖いけど、結衣さん、真相が気になるんだ。
Sukoshi kowai kedo, Yui-san, shinsō ga ki ni naru n da.
It's a bit scary, but Yui, I'm curious about the truth.
結衣 Yui

なるほど、ミステリーが好きなんですね。
Naruhodo, misuterī ga suki na n desu ne.
I see, you like mysteries.

Sources

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