Japanese symbol for “kill”
殺す
ころす
Romaji: korosu
to kill; to slay; to murder; to slaughter
In Japanese, kill is 殺す, read ころす (korosu).
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
- v5s, vt to kill; to slay; to murder; to slaughter
- v5s, vt to suppress; to block; to hamper; to destroy (e.g. talent); to eliminate (e.g. an odour); to spoil (e.g. a flavour)
- v5s, vt to suppress (a voice, feelings, etc.); to hold back; to stifle (a yawn, laugh, etc.); to hold (one's breath)
- v5s, vt to put out (a runner) (baseb)
- v5s, vt to pawn; to put in hock
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “kill”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 倒す | たおす taosu | to kill; to defeat; to beat |
| 消す | けす kesu | to kill; to murder; to bump off |
| 獲物 | えもの emono | prey; catch; kill |
| キル | キル kiru | kill |
| 締める | しめる shimeru | to kill (fish, poultry, etc.) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 殺人 | さつじん satsujin | murder; homicide; manslaughter |
| 自殺 | じさつ jisatsu | suicide |
| 暗殺 | あんさつ ansatsu | assassination |
| 虐殺 | ぎゃくさつ gyakusatsu | slaughter; massacre |
| 殺し | ころし koroshi | murder; killing; murderer |
See also: Chinese symbol for “kill”.
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.