Japanese symbol for “slaughtering”

殺処分

さつしょぶん

Romaji: satsushobun

culling; putting down; slaughtering; killing

In Japanese, slaughtering is 殺処分, read さつしょぶん (satsushobun).

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, vs culling; putting down; slaughtering; killing

Written forms: 殺処分. Readings: さつしょぶん、さっしょぶん.

Kanji and stroke order

殺

kill, murder, butcher

on: サツ、サイ、セツ
kun: ころ.す、-ごろ.し、そ.ぐ、あや.める

10 strokes · JLPT 2

処

dispose, manage, deal with

on: ショ
kun: ところ、-こ、お.る

5 strokes · JLPT 2

分

part, minute of time, segment

on: ブン、フン、ブ
kun: わ.ける、わ.け、わ.かれる、わ.かる

4 strokes · JLPT 4

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
殺す	ころす korosu	to kill; to slay; to murder
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
処理	しょり shori	processing; dealing with; treatment
処分	しょぶん shobun	disposal; throwing away; selling off
自分	じぶん jibun	myself; yourself; oneself

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.