How to say "torture" in Japanese

• 拷問ごうもんCommon
  noun, suru verb, transitive verbThe direct word for torture as an act: deliberately inflicting severe pain on someone, often to force a confession or information. This is the word you want for the literal practice of torture.
  囚人しゅうじんは拷問ごうもんで死しんだ。↗

  The prisoner died under torture.
• 責めせめCommon
  nounIt can mean torment as well as torture: the suffering of someone pressed or hounded, mental or physical, rather than a specific act. For literal torture, 拷問 is the clearer choice.
  彼かれは生徒せいとの質問しつもん責せめに困こまっているところだ。↗

  He is being harassed by a flood of questions from his students.

Use 拷問 for torture in the concrete sense — deliberately inflicting severe pain, often to force a confession or information; 「責め」 covers torture but leans toward torment, the suffering of being pressed or hounded.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 拷問ごうもんtorture
• 責め苛むせめさいなむto torture
• 責め苦せめくtorture
• 痛め吟味いためぎんみtorture (in the Edo-period)
• トーチャーtorture
• 苛むさいなむto torment
• 呵責かしゃくblame
• 焼きを入れるやきをいれるto temper
• 責めるせめるto torture
• 責めせめtorture