How to say "assassinate" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- suru verbCovers the general English sense of killing a prominent person such as a political leader. A direct katakana borrowing of 'assassinate' and a less common word, it is seldom the word you want.
- 弑するしいするsuru verb (irregular), transitive verbMeans killing one's own superior — a lord, master, king, or father — with a nuance of betraying someone owed loyalty; it fits 'assassinate' only when the victim is such a superior, and is less common.
Both are less common choices: 「アサシネイト」 is a direct loanword covering the general English sense of killing a prominent figure, while 「弑する」 specifically means killing one's own superior — a lord, king, or father.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
