七つの大罪
nanatsu no taizai
The phrase "seven deadly sins" is translated into Japanese as 七つの大罪 (nanatsu no taizai).
七つの大罪 refers to the theological concept of the seven cardinal sins. While it is a religious term, it is very commonly encountered in Japanese pop culture, such as in the titles of anime and manga.
Meaning: the seven cardinal sins (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 七つ (nanatsu) meaning 'seven', の (no) a possessive particle and 大罪 (taizai) meaning 'great sin' or 'cardinal sin'.
How do you pronounce it?
nanatsu no taizai
Did you know?
- The concept of 'seven deadly sins' is a Western import, whereas the traditional Japanese Buddhist equivalent is the 'three poisons' known as 三毒 (sandoku).
- In a casual context, a Japanese speaker might use 大罪 (taizai) hyperbolically to describe a minor social faux pas or a 'huge mistake'.
- The word 罪 (tsumi) is used in Japanese to mean both a religious 'sin' and a legal 'crime'.
Examples in context
- 七つの大罪（ななつのたいざい）Seven Deadly Sins
- 七つの大罪について勉強しています。Nanatsu no taizai ni tsuite benkyou shite imasu.I am studying about the seven deadly sins.
- その物語は七つの大罪がテーマです。Sono monogatari wa nanatsu no taizai ga teemu desu.That story's theme is the seven deadly sins.
- 七つの大罪には何が含まれますか？Nanatsu no taizai ni wa nani ga fukumare masu ka?What is included in the seven deadly sins?
Example conversation
Kenta and Himari are discussing a movie they watched.
- 健太 Kentaあの映画のテーマは七つの大罪だったね。ano eiga no teema wa nanatsu no taizai datta ne.The theme of that movie was the seven deadly sins, wasn't it?
- 陽葵 Himariそうだよ。とても深い話だったと思う。sou da yo. totemo fukai hanashi datta to omou.It was. I think it was a very deep story.
- 健太 Kenta特にどの罪が印象に残っている？toku ni dono tsumi ga inshou ni nokotte iru?Which sin specifically left an impression on you?
- 陽葵 Himari私は強欲のシーンが一番怖かったな。watashi wa gouyoku no shiin ga ichiban kowakatta na.I found the greed scene the scariest.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “seven deadly sins” translations and entries 七つの大罪, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
