Japanese symbol for “beheading”
斬
ざん
Romaji: zan
beheading; decapitation
In Japanese, beheading is 斬, read ざん (zan).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n beheading; decapitation
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “beheading”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 首切り | くびきり kubikiri | decapitation; beheading |
| 介錯 | かいしゃく kaishaku | beheading (as the ending to a seppuku) |
| 断頭 | だんとう dantou | beheading; decapitation |
| 断罪 | だんざい danzai | beheading; decapitation |
| 打ち首 | うちくび uchikubi | decapitation; beheading |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 斬新 | ざんしん zanshin | novel; original; new |
| 斬る | きる kiru | to kill (a human) using a blade (sword, machete, knife, etc.); to slice (off); to lop (off) |
| 斬首 | ざんしゅ zanshu | decapitation |
| 辻斬り | つじぎり tsujigiri | attacking a passerby with a sword (to test its sharpness or one's skill); samurai who tries out his sword on a passerby |
| 斬殺 | ざんさつ zansatsu | killing with a sword (knife, dagger, etc.); slaying; putting to the sword |
| 試し斬り | ためしぎり tameshigiri | trying out a new sword or blade (originally on someone, but now on soaked straw targets) |
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.