Meaning
獄 (goku) means "prison," "jail," or "penitentiary." The concept stretches further: compounds like 地獄 (hell) and 煉獄 (purgatory) use 獄 to convey inescapable suffering — places where one is trapped and punished without reprieve.
The character's structure makes its meaning concrete. On the left: 犭 (けものへん, kemonohen), the dog-side radical, a variant of 犬 (dog). At the center: 言 (speech, words), representing the legal verdict that condemns a person. On the right: 犬 (dog) again. Two guard dogs flank the spoken judgment. The law speaks (言), the dogs enforce it on both sides, and no one escapes. That image is 獄.
At 14 strokes — 犭(3) + 言(7) + 犬(4) — this is firmly N1 territory. It appears in legal documents, historical texts, and Buddhist literature, rarely in casual speech.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
The on'yomi is ゴク (goku), the dominant reading for all major 獄 compounds.
- 監獄 (kangoku) — Prison, penitentiary. The standard modern term for a correctional facility.
- 地獄 (jigoku) — Hell. A place of extreme suffering, literal or figurative.
- 獄中 (gokuchū) — Inside prison; during incarceration.
- 牢獄 (rōgoku) — Prison, dungeon. Carries a harsher, more archaic feel than 監獄.
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
The kun'yomi ひとや (hitoya) means "prison" or "jail." It sounds archaic in modern Japanese and survives mainly in classical and historical texts. For practical purposes, ゴク is the reading you will encounter.
- 人屋 (hitoya) — Prison, jail. Rarely used outside classical literature.
Common Words & Compounds
獄 clusters around confinement and punishment. These compounds appear in news, formal writing, and literature.
- 監獄 (kangoku) — Prison, penitentiary. Standard contemporary term.
- 牢獄 (rōgoku) — Prison, dungeon. Implies harsher or older conditions.
- 地獄 (jigoku) — Hell; any extreme suffering.
- 獄中 (gokuchū) — Inside prison; while imprisoned.
- 出獄 (shutsugoku) — Release from prison.
- 入獄 (nyūgoku) — Imprisonment; being sent to prison.
- 脱獄 (datsugoku) — Prison break; escape from custody.
- 獄死 (gokushi) — Death in prison.
- 獄吏 (gokuri) — Jailer, prison guard.
- 獄門 (gokumon) — Prison gate. In Edo-period Japan, severed heads were displayed here after execution.
- 煉獄 (rengoku) — Purgatory; a state of suffering between death and final judgment.
Example Sentences
彼は長い間監獄に入っていた。
Kare wa nagai aida kangoku ni haitte ita.
He spent years in prison.
犯罪者たちは厳重な牢獄に入れられた。
Hanzaisha-tachi wa genjū na rōgoku ni irerareta.
The criminals were thrown into a high-security jail.
この仕事はまるで地獄のような忙しさだ。
Kono shigoto wa marude jigoku no yō na isogashisa da.
This job is hellishly busy.
彼は決して獄中での体験を忘れないだろう。
Kare wa kesshite gokuchū de no taiken o wasurenai darō.
He will never forget what he went through in prison.
映画では、主人公が劇的な脱獄を果たした。
Eiga de wa, shujinkō ga gekiteki na datsugoku o hatashita.
In the film, the protagonist pulled off a dramatic prison break.
古い物語には、罪人が獄吏に引きずられていく場面がよく出てくる。
Furui monogatari ni wa, zainin ga gokuri ni hikizurarete iku bamen ga yoku dete kuru.
Old stories often feature scenes of criminals being dragged away by jailers.
彼は無実を訴えながら獄死した。
Kare wa mujitsu o uttaenagara gokushi shita.
He died in prison still insisting he was innocent.
この事件によって、多くの人々が無期入獄の判決を受けた。
Kono jiken ni yotte, ōku no hitobito ga muki nyūgoku no hanketsu o uketa.
Because of this incident, many people were sentenced to indefinite imprisonment.
Memory Tip
Break 獄 into three parts: 犭 (dog, left) + 言 (speech, center) + 犬 (dog, right). Two guard dogs stand on either side while a judge reads the verdict aloud. The words are spoken, the sentence is passed, and the dogs make sure no one leaves. Prison (獄) = two dogs enforcing a spoken judgment.