冤罪

• 読み: えんざい
• ローマ字: enzai
• 漢字の分解: 冤 (en) — unjust accusation, grievance; 罪 (zai) — crime, sin, guilt
• 発音: /en.za.i/

意味

False charge; wrongful conviction; miscarriage of justice. Being charged, prosecuted, or convicted of a crime one did not commit.

Composed of 冤 (unjust accusation/grievance) and 罪 (crime/sin/guilt). A serious legal and social term highlighting failures of the justice system. Japan's historically high conviction rate (over 99%) makes wrongful convictions a particularly sensitive topic. 冤罪被害者 (victims of wrongful conviction) are subjects of ongoing legal reform campaigns. Distinct from 無罪 (not guilty verdict) in that 冤罪 specifically implies an innocent person was punished.

例文

1. 長年刑務所に服役していた男性が冤罪と認められ、ようやく釈放された。
2. 冤罪を防ぐためには、捜査機関の透明性と適正な司法手続きが不可欠だ。
3. 支援団体が冤罪被害者の再審請求を支え、真実の解明に尽力している。

使い方ガイド

場面: law, society, journalism, human rights

トーン: serious

起源と歴史

冤 (en, unjust suffering/grievance; the character depicts suppression or concealment of injustice) + 罪 (zai, crime/sin). A classical compound used in both Chinese and Japanese to denote punishment imposed on the innocent.

文化的背景

時代: Classical–Contemporary

世代: Adults

社会的背景: General