起訴

• 読み: きそ
• ローマ字: kiso
• 漢字の分解: 起 (ki) — rise, start, begin; 訴 (so) — accuse, sue, appeal
• 発音: /ki.so/

意味

Prosecution; indictment. The formal act of bringing criminal charges against someone in court.

A noun and suru-verb used in legal contexts to indicate that formal criminal charges have been filed. The opposite is 不起訴 (fukiso, non-prosecution/dropped charges). Distinguished from 告訴 (kokuso, filing a complaint) — 起訴 is the official decision by a prosecutor to bring a case to trial. Japan has a notably high prosecution rate, and once charged (起訴された), the conviction rate exceeds 99%.

例文

1. 容疑者は詐欺罪で起訴された。
2. 検察は証拠不十分で起訴を見送った。
3. 起訴されると、裁判が始まることになる。

使い方ガイド

場面: law, news, court proceedings

トーン: serious

起源と歴史

From Sino-Japanese: 起 (ki, rise/start) + 訴 (so, accuse/sue). Literally 'to raise an accusation' — initiating legal proceedings by formally filing charges.

文化的背景

時代: Modern

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal