Kanji N3

殺: kill, murder, butcher

殺 is a JLPT N3 kanji meaning kill, murder, butcher, written with 10 strokes. It is read サツ, サイ, セツ (on) and ころす, そぐ, あやめる (kun). Children in Japan learn it in grade 5. You will see it in 殺す (ころす, to kill) and 自殺 (じさつ, suicide).

殺

Meanings

  • kill
  • murder
  • butcher
  • slice off
  • split
  • diminish
  • reduce
  • spoil
Strokes10
JLPT levelN3
School gradeGrade 5
Frequency#581 of 2,500

On reading · Kun reading

On reading
  • サツ
  • サイ
  • セツ

On'yomi: from Chinese, written in katakana. Used in compound words.

Kun reading
  • ころす
  • -ごろし
  • そぐ
  • あやめる

Kun'yomi: native Japanese, in hiragana. The faint part is the okurigana, written in kana after the kanji.

Watch the stroke order

Every stroke in order, the live one in vermilion. Replay as often as you like.

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Now draw it

Trace each stroke in order. Wrong direction or wrong order gets flagged right away.

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Your turn: draw stroke 1 of 10. Start at the dot.

Common words with 殺

The most useful words written with it, easiest first. Every other kanji in them opens its own page.

  • 殺すころす

    to kill; to slay; to murder; to slaughter

    JLPT N3
  • 自殺じさつ

    suicide

    JLPT N3
  • 殺人さつじん

    murder; homicide; manslaughter

    JLPT N1
  • 暗殺あんさつ

    assassination

    JLPT N1
  • 殺害さつがい

    killing; murder

  • 殺しころし

    murder; killing; murderer

  • 虐殺ぎゃくさつ

    slaughter; massacre

  • 併殺へいさつ

    double play

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Stroke order from KanjiVG © Ulrich Apel, CC BY-SA 3.0. Readings, meanings and words from KANJIDIC2 and JMdict, names from JMnedict, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0, and Wikidata, CC0; the Spanish meanings they lack, translated by Naraio from their English, are shared under the same licence. Example sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR. JLPT lists after Jonathan Waller (tanos.co.uk), CC BY. Sentences split into words with IPADIC © NAIST and IPA, through Lindera.