How to say "annihilation" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 全滅ぜんめつnoun, suru verb, transitive verb, intransitive verbTotal destruction or being wiped out — every member of a group is lost. Typical for armies, fleets, or teams annihilated so that nothing survives.
- 壊滅かいめつnoun, suru verb, intransitive verbComplete destruction or devastation of an organization, city, or force; the group or place is crushed and left in ruins. Common in news of disasters or the collapse of a criminal organization.
- 死滅しめつnoun, suru verb, intransitive verbAnnihilation in the sense of extinction or dying out entirely — living things such as species, insects, or microorganisms ceasing to exist. Not the usual word for destroyed buildings or defeated armies.
- 皆殺しみなごろしnounAnnihilation by killing — a massacre in which everyone is slaughtered. It centers on people being deliberately killed one and all, so it does not fit damage, defeat, or extinction.
- 完敗かんぱいnoun, suru verb, intransitive verbEssentially 'utter defeat', not physical annihilation; it appears in the sense of an annihilating loss, as in a sports match or contest lost completely. Seldom the word for literal destruction.
Use 全滅 for being wiped out completely, 壊滅 for devastating destruction of an organization or region, 死滅 for extinction of living things, 「皆殺し」 for killing everyone, and 完敗 only for utter defeat.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
- 全滅ぜんめつtotal destruction
- 壊滅かいめつ(complete) destruction
- 死滅しめつextinction
- 皆殺しみなごろしmassacre
- 完敗かんぱい(suffering a) complete defeat
- 殲滅せんめつannihilation
- 霊魂消滅れいこんしょうめつannihilation
- 対消滅ついしょうめつannihilation (of particle and anti-particle)
- 尽滅じんめつannihilation
- 撃滅げきめつdestruction
- 無化むかnullification
- 掃滅そうめつwiping out
- 滅殺めっさつobliteration
- 消滅しょうめつannihilation
See also
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