斬 — “Beheading / Kill / Murder” in Japanese

Master (高手)ざん, さん, せん, ぜん, き

Radical ⽄ · radical 69 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Beheading / Kill / Murder” in Japanese is 斬, read zan, san, sen (ざん, さん, せん, ぜん, き). It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 斬殺 (killing by sword).

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What does 斬 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	斬
Meaning	Beheading / Kill / Murder
Readings	ざん, さん, せん, ぜん, き
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	斬殺 (killing by sword)

How to read 斬

斬 is read zan (ざん) or san (さん) or sen (せん) or zen (ぜん) or ki (き) depending on the word.

Words with 斬

斬殺

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Kanji read the same way as 斬

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Updated: 2026-08-28