Meaning
The kanji 刑 means punishment, penalty, or criminal sentencing. It anchors Japan's legal vocabulary — turn on any courtroom drama, open a crime report, or read a formal legal document and you'll meet it quickly. More precisely, 刑 refers to official punishment handed down by a court, backed by state authority.
That legal specificity is what ties it to words like 刑事 (criminal detective), 死刑 (death penalty), and 刑務所 (prison). Rarely heard in casual conversation, but indispensable for N1 reading of news and legal texts.
The structure tells the story. The left component 幵 depicts two horizontal lines balanced on a base — scales of justice, equilibrium under law. The right component is 刂, a variant of 刀 (sword). Ancient Chinese criminal punishment often involved physical penalties, so the blade is no accident. Over time, meaning expanded from literal cutting to all forms of official criminal penalty. Together, the components read as justice enforced by the sword of authority.
刑 has 6 strokes and appears in Japan's Jōyō list as a secondary-education character, typically introduced in junior high. Outside the elementary curriculum, but essential for anyone reading Japanese news or legal content at N1.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
One on'yomi reading: ケイ (kei). Used in every compound containing this kanji — no exceptions. 刑 arrived in Japanese through Chinese administrative and legal vocabulary and carries no native Japanese pronunciation. All formal usage goes through ケイ.
Essential compounds using ケイ:
- 刑事 (keiji) — criminal detective; also an adjective meaning "criminal" as in a criminal case
- 刑罰 (keibatsu) — criminal punishment, legal penalty
- 刑法 (keihou) — criminal law, the penal code
- 刑務所 (keimusho) — prison, correctional facility
- 刑期 (keiki) — prison term, the length of a sentence
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
No kun'yomi. Kanji borrowed through Chinese legal vocabulary rarely developed native Japanese readings — 刑 is a textbook case. The practical upside: see 刑 anywhere in a compound and read it as ケイ, every time, no ambiguity.
Common Words & Compounds
刑 spans legal and formal registers. These are the compounds you need to follow Japanese news, criminal proceedings, and courtroom dramas.
Core Legal Terms:
- 刑事 (keiji) — criminal detective; also a modifier meaning "criminal" or "relating to criminal matters"
- 刑罰 (keibatsu) — criminal punishment, the formal legal penalty imposed on an offender
- 刑法 (keihou) — criminal law, Japan's penal code defining crimes and punishments
- 刑務所 (keimusho) — prison, penitentiary
- 刑期 (keiki) — prison term, designated length of a sentence
Types of Punishment:
- 死刑 (shikei) — death penalty; Japan is one of the few developed nations that still retains capital punishment
- 終身刑 (shuushinkei) — life sentence, literally "lifetime punishment"
- 体刑 (taikei) — corporal punishment, physical punishment
- 懲役刑 (choueikikei) — imprisonment with forced labor, penal servitude
Legal Proceedings & Sentencing:
- 刑事裁判 (keiji saiban) — criminal trial
- 刑事事件 (keiji jiken) — criminal case
- 量刑 (ryoukei) — sentencing, determining the appropriate punishment
- 重刑 (juukei) — severe punishment, heavy sentence
Example Sentences
その男は死刑を宣告された。
Sono otoko wa shikei wo senkoku sareta.
That man was sentenced to death.
刑事が容疑者を取り調べた。
Keiji ga yougisha wo torishirabeta.
The detective interrogated the suspect.
彼は刑務所に三年間入っていた。
Kare wa keimusho ni san-nenkan haitte ita.
He was in prison for three years.
日本の刑法は非常に複雑だ。
Nihon no keihou wa hijou ni fukuzatsu da.
Japan's criminal law is extremely complex.
裁判所が刑を決める。
Saibansho ga kei wo kimeru.
The court determines the punishment.
量刑の判断は裁判官が行う。
Ryoukei no handan wa saibankan ga okonau.
The judge carries out the sentencing decision.
彼女は執行猶予つきの刑を受けた。
Kanojo wa shikkou yuuyo-tsuki no kei wo uketa.
She received a suspended sentence.
この刑事事件は全国的な注目を集めた。
Kono keiji jiken wa zenkokuteki na chuumoku wo atsumeta.
This criminal case attracted nationwide attention.
終身刑か死刑か、それが問題だ。
Shuushinkei ka shikei ka, sore ga mondai da.
Life sentence or death penalty — that is the question.
Memory Tip
Split 刑 into two halves. The left side, 幵, looks like balanced scales — two lines held in equilibrium, justice in balance. The right side, 刂, is a sword. When the scales tip — a crime committed — the sword comes down. 刑 is that moment: official punishment delivered by authority.
For the reading ケイ, think of the English name "Kay." Picture a stern judge named Kay — every criminal sentence in the city goes through her courtroom. Gavel down, verdict final, no appeals. Whenever you see 刑, hear Judge Kay: ケイ.