How to say "looting" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 略奪りゃくだつnoun, suru verb, transitive verbCovers the usual sense of 'looting': taking goods or property by force, as when an army pillages a town or crowds loot shops during a riot. It also covers plunder and robbery generally.
- 略取りゃくしゅnoun, suru verb, transitive verbThis word chiefly means capture — seizing or carrying off a person — and is seldom the word you want for looting of property; for that sense, 略奪 is the natural choice.
Use 略奪 for looting in the sense of plundering goods by force, as in war or riots; 略取 chiefly means capture, typically of a person, and is seldom the natural choice for looting.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
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